Wednesday
by Hufflepuff44
Summary: Something about Wednesdays never settled right with Todoroki. As of lately all of his bad days just so happened to fall on Wednesdays, but this one was giving his past Wednesdays a run for their money. How will he survive the day convincing his nosey classmates that he's ok? He just needs to make it through this day.
1. Chapter 1

Todoroki startled awake, his heterochromic eyes snapping open while his body involuntarily sat up. He took deep, shuddering breaths with his head between his knees and his hands running through his hair. Once he stopped shaking, Todoroki glanced at the alarm clock next to him. 4:27 AM it read. Wednesday. He sighed and uncurled himself, returning to the position he had been in before he had been woken up, noting the thin coat of frost that coated the right side of his futon. Wednesday was steadily becoming Todoroki's least favorite day of the week. It seemed like everything happened to him during the middle of the week, whether it be spilling his water in the common area or a villain attack closing the roads he needed to walk on. This Wednesday, it seemed, was no exception. Rolling onto his left side he closed his eyes, not particularly hoping to get more shuteye, but to block out the slowly awakening world around him. He pressed his hand to his still rapidly beating heart, willing it to calm down the way it usually did after nightmares. Today it didn't because it was a Wednesday.

Letting out a soft groan he rolled off his futon and stood on wobbly legs. He walked over to the joint bathroom himself, Sero, and Satou shared. His heart still felt off, it wasn't beating as fast as it had been before, but now it seemed to be skipping beats, then rushing to catch up, which wasn't overly concerning, just uncomfortable. His slightly shaky legs and arms didn't do much to quell his concern. Todoroki glanced into the mirror, noting the dark circle underneath his right eye. He reached up to the left side of his face, brushing long fingers against the edge of his scar. It looked even more prominent due to his already pale skin being a few shades lighter. Sickly, Todoroki thought, as he stared at himself in the mirror. It wasn't often he let himself take in his appearance; he usually didn't care enough to do so anyway, but today was different. It was a Wednesday. So, he continued to peer into the mirror, gazing at his dual colored hair, noticing how the red and white strands mixed in the middle due to his prominent bedhead. Todoroki always thought of himself as less than appealing appearance wise. Being split down the middle was a look few could pull off, and if that wasn't hard enough, Todoroki couldn't recall anyone who could make a large burn scar over their eye look remotely bearable. Pretty boy is what his female and even a few of his male classmates called him. Todoroki scoffed. It was a cruel joke, but it wasn't worth his time to address. He knew what he was, and it didn't matter anyways.

The door slammed open, causing Todoroki to aggressively flinch and turn his head towards the door. Sero stood in the door frame, a towel slung over his shoulder. "Todoroki, dude, what are you doing up so early?" He asked closing the door with, thankfully, less force than he had opened it with.

How long had he been standing here? Generally, if his memory could be trusted right now, Todoroki recalled that Sero usually gets up around 6:00 AM, but that couldn't be right. That would mean the he had been standing in front of the mirror for about an hour and a half. Sero must've gotten an early start. That was it. There was no way Todoroki spent that long caught in his mind.

"Todoroki, dude, you go-"

"What time is it?" Todoroki asked, in his usual deadpanned voice.

Sero walked and stood beside him and plucked his toothbrush out of the cabinet over the sink. "Uh around 6:00, maybe a little later? 6:10 maybe." Todoroki nodded, and returned his gaze back towards the mirror, although he wasn't looking anymore. A silent minute ticked by. Sero cleared his throat, drawing Todoroki's attention to him. "You ok, man. You seem kinda off."

"I'm fine." Todoroki answered before copying Sero and pulling his toothbrush out of the cabinet over the middle sink. Sero nodded but didn't look completely convinced. This isn't what Todoroki needed. He needed Sero to be convinced, because if he wasn't, he would definitely alert others who would then either come to Todoroki directly or report him to Aizawa. It was Wednesday and he couldn't deal with that today. He would just have to try to play it off and fool Sero before he left the bathroom.

Todoroki rinsed him mouth out, flushing out all toothpaste that was left behind. "Are you looking forward to training today?"

Sero side eyed Todoroki, before answering. "I guess. I mean working on our special attacks should be cool." Todoroki hummed in agreement. "Sorry but I gotta ask, are you sure you're ok?"

Todoroki bowed his head, his hands gripping the edge of the counter, as his heart uncomfortably skipped yet another beat. So much for playing it off. He readjusted standing up straighter and rolling his shoulders back, trying to look as confident as he could for someone in rumpled pajamas. "What makes you think I'm not ok?"

"You seem, I don't know how to describe it." Sero paused thinking. "You seem far away. Like you're here physically, but mentally you seem kina checked out?" Todoroki stared at him, his eyes as unexpressive and cold as they could be. He almost felt bad as Sero crumpled under his gaze. "I mean I could be wrong or whatever. I was just concerned for you."

"I'm fine. There's no need for concern." Todoroki returned his toothbrush and left the bathroom, nearly plowing into Satou as he made his escape. He felt the taller boy's eyes on his back as Todoroki retreated back into his room. He closed the door and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He gently pressed his forehead against the door, appreciating the smoothness of the wood. Flashbacks of his nightmare played back behind his closed eyes. His mother with a tea kettle, here eyes full of fear as whipped her head around.

Todoroki opened his eyes, feeling a slight phantom pain over his scar. He resisted the urge to pouch the puckered skin as he walked further into his room to get ready for the day. Everything was a blur. When did he put on his tie? How come his shirt was already buttoned? Have his socks always been on his feet? It didn't matter Todoroki told himself. Just get a grip. He tried to shake the fogginess out of his head as he tucked his trembling hands into his pockets.

Suddenly he was in the common room. He mentally scolded himself. He needed to sort out whatever was making him so detached. He clenched his fists in his pockets. Maybe pain would ground him Todoroki reasoned as he felt his nails digging into his palms.

"Good morning Todoroki. How did you sleep?"

Todoroki startled a bit but was able to keep his external composure. "Ah Momo, good morning." He could trust Momo to be gentle with him in the morning, as she respected that he wasn't quite a morning person. "I slept well enough, how about yourself?"

Momo smiled at him, but there was something else behind it. What it was Todoroki couldn't quite put his finger on. Perhaps he needed more practice in socialization, he had thought he was getting better, but maybe that wasn't the case. "Well, thank you. Would you like to walk to class together?"

Any other day Todoroki would have answered yes without much hesitation, but not today. Today was Wednesday. He felt off. He wouldn't be the reason Momo couldn't pay attention in class today. He wouldn't let his problems tie her down. However, if he acted out of the norm and declined she would definitely know something was wasn't completely right.

By the time he checked back into reality, Momo's brows were furrowed and she was biting her bottom lip, the way she did when she was troubled. "It's ok if you don't want to, I just figured I'd ask."

"I'd love to," Todoroki gave a small smile before continuing, "I just didn't have breakfast yet."

Before Momo could respond, Iida sped walked over to him waving his hands in the air. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I advise that you have at least a piece of fruit before you leave for class."

Todoroki heard someone mumble "Jeeze, how is he like that this early in the morning". He turned towards Iida and nodded before returning his attention back to Momo. "You can head over without me if you want."

"Alright, I'll see you in class then." She told him. She gave him an encouraging smile and nod before walking across the room to Jiro and sparking up a conversation.

Todoroki grabbed an orange from the fruit basket on the dining table and sat down. He tried to still his slightly trembling hands, annoyed that his nerves still haven't calmed down yet. He happened to look up at Momo and Jiro, who were whispering to each other. The topic of their conversation must have been problematic as both girls appeared slightly anxious. It wasn't until Todoroki's eyes met both Momo's and Jiro's that he realized what they were talking about. They were talking about him. He barely had one conversation With Momo and he was already causing not just her problems, but also Jiro. Broke the awkward eye contact as he rose and left the common room.

He didn't remember starting the walk over to class, but the next thing he knew he was halfway to the building. What was happening to him? Of course nightmares were a nuisance and while it was true that they affected him more than he'd like to admit, the effects usually wore off within thirty minutes. Yet today his hands were still shaking, his legs still felt like jello, his heart was still stuttering, and his mind was still a huge mess. All this because it just had to be Wednesday. He would just have to try harder Todoroki decided. Put more effort into looking like he was fine, put more effort into thinking, and put even more effort into pretending that he was ok. After all he's been through worse, this would be a walk in the park, or at least that's what he told himself anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

*****This chapter contains some descriptions of abuse, violence and panic attacks. If this bothers you, please skip this chapter. Be safe!*****

Class started with no problems. Todoroki was more thankful than ever that his seat was located in the back row. This way he could avoid the eyes of the large majority of his classmates. The only person he'd have to be on high alert for was Momo. He couldn't let his own personal problems affect her anymore this morning. Todoroki was determined to get through this by himself. He had been alone before, so what was the difference? Well, there was the fact that he was a different person now than he was before he enrolled in UA. Before he never really had friends. He had acquaintances and people to talk to for sure, but that was as far as his social life went back then. He told himself that it was because he never wanted friends, never needed them, but now looking back it was clear that those were his father's words. The simple sentence played over and over again in his head. _'No distractions_. _'You live in a different world than them'_. So, Todoroki remained cold to his old classmates, never going out of his way for them, never initiating conversations. When there was any form of talking, he remained short, curt, and disinterested, focusing all his spare time on training.

Now though? Todoroki didn't really know how it happened. Friendship slowly crept up on him, seizing him by the hand and pulling him along. Todoroki couldn't find it in his heart to fight it this time. The buildup had been slow, starting as quick smiles and waves in the classroom. Todoroki appreciated the gestures. It was more than what he was used to, so he was surprised when he found himself craving more. He wondered what it would be like to have people to trust, people who could make him laugh, make him forget about all his problems for just a little while. In a fit of passion, he researched how to make friends on the family computer in the early hours of the morning, as to not be caught by his father. One of the most prominent steps he came across was to put yourself out there. That was the one thing Todoroki couldn't do though. Or that's what he thought. Come the sports festival, it felt completely natural to tell Midoriya his past, what he had been through, his ambitions. After that interaction, the friendship clicked into place, and it spread across the rest of his classmates. From zero to one hundred. At first, he thought that maybe he had made a mistake. It was overwhelming. So many people paying attention to him, looking out for him, actively seeking him out. He was used to ghosting through his days, not seen, heard, or thought of by anyone but his father. Todoroki adjusted though. He grew used to people being around him. He found himself actually preferring it. He found himself joining the group for their class bonding sessions and hanging out with them after school hours. Todoroki had one rule though. Never worry his friends. Don't be a burden. So that's what he did. He hid his feelings, which was already a habit of his, but now he actually cared about how his feelings could impact others.

Todoroki wiped his sweaty, still trembling hands on his uniform pants, letting himself suck in a quick deep breath. This was the wrong move. His inhale was louder than he had anticipated it. Momo turned her head towards him, concern written all over her pretty features. Todoroki kept his head straight forward, refusing to look her in the eyes. He knew if he acknowledged her, she'd ask questions, and since it was Wednesday he couldn't deal with questions. Even if he could Todoroki knew he would say all the wrong things, which would only hurt Momo more. It would distract her, and Todoroki wasn't worth all that trouble in the long run. So, he ignored her. From his peripherals he could faintly see her bit her lip. She reached her hand out a bit, as if she was going to nudge his arm before hesitating and until lately retracting it. She bowed her head briefly before returning her attention to the front of the classroom.

For the second time that day Todoroki let out a breath he had no idea he was holding. He put his hands back on his desk, folding them neatly, properly as he was taught to do. Todoroki couldn't help but notice a few flaws on the smooth skin of his knuckles. A few pale scars littered the bumps of his joints, some longer than others. Todoroki could feel his mind drifting, slipping out of his control.

_He was suddenly back in the training room, a sweaty mess on the floor. His stomach lurched as his breakfast made a second appearance. His father's eyes were burning into his back, as the man paced around him. Endeavor was yelling, Todoroki knew that for sure, what the number two hero was saying, he had no idea. He felt pain bust throughout his ribs as his father kicked his ribs. He felt hands on him, pulling him, yanking him, trying to get him to stand again. His legs were too weak. The second his father let go of him, he crumpled, his knees hitting the floor with an almost sickening crack. He panted, salty sweat and tears stinging his eyes._

"_You're weak. You need to be better. How are you supposed to suppress All Might if you can't handle some pain?" Endeavor leaned in close, spitting on him. "You're a failure. I can't even bear to look at you right now." He delivered another blow to Todoroki's ribs, causing his to gasp. "To think my legacy looks like you. Skinny, weak, disgusting.". His father started out of the room. "Clean this mess up by the time I return."_

_Todoroki had no idea how much time passed before he pulled himself together. He began to scrub the blood and sweat off of the wooden floors, his eyes meeting himself in the wall length mirror. He stood and limped towards the glass, observing himself. Disgusting. Weak. Skinny. Ugly. Todoroki's vision went red. The next thing he knew the mirror lay around his feet in sharp shards, blood oozing out of the knuckles of his right hand. Realization of what he had done hit him hard. What had he done? What was he thinking? That's the thing though, he wasn't thinking. He was going to have to pay for this later when his father returned home. _

_Panic. That's all Todoroki could feel. His heart thudded against his rib cage with so much force, Todoroki was sure it would burst right out of his chest. He sucked in air, none of which reached his lungs. He collapsed; his legs being sliced by the fragments of glass on the floor. He didn't feel it though. His hands reached up to pull on his hair. He'd have to run away. It was the only solution. His dad was going to kill him. That Todoroki was sure of. He stumbled to his feet and moved as quickly as he could towards the doorway. _

_Footsteps could be heard making their way down the hall. He was back. A sob escaped his mouth and Todoroki leaned heavily against the doorway. "Shouto?" A voice called. The voice didn't belong to Endeavor, and Todoroki knew that, however his panic only increased as the footsteps accelerated. He tried to retreat, but his feet were rooted to the floor. "Oh my god, Shouto!" Fuyumi gasped, immediately reaching out to hug her little brother. Todoroki's legs gave out once again as he clung to his sister. "What happe-"_

"-roki, you with us?"

Todoroki was jolted back into reality. Someone was touching him. The grip burned like fire. He needed o=to get out of it. Suddenly Todoroki flinched out of the grasp, not even checking to see who it was. His heart was beating too fast. What was happening? Where was he?

"Todoroki?" a soft voice questioned. He immediately recognized the voice. Midoriya. That's right. He was in class. Back at UA, with his friends, not with his dad. The broken mirror was repaired long ago. His bloody knuckles had been healed over for a few years now. He was fine. He was safe.

"Are you ok?" Midoriya asked softly, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible. Todoroki blinked his eyes a few times trying to readjust to his surroundings. He shook his head a bit before turning to look as his green haired friend. Panic was painted across his face. His eyebrows were drawn in, creating creases on his forehead. His mouth was turned down into a slight frown, as Midoriya fidgeted with his fingers, not quite sure what to do with his hands.

Todoroki had done it again. He had made another one of his friends worry. He hadn't even said anything. "I'm fine, just a little tired today." He answered deadpanned. He swiveled his eyes around the room, noticing that it was empty.

Midoriya seemed to notice his confusion. "The lunch bell rung a few minutes ago. I'm guessing you didn't hear it?"

Todoroki shook his head. He hadn't heard it. He also didn't hear his entire class leave the room. Not even the hallway traffic. He wasn't even there when any of that occurred. "I'm sorry for making you late.'' He apologized has he stood and collected his belongings.

"It was no problem! The bell only rung a few minutes ago!" Midoriya stated getting slightly flustered. He quickly composed himself though and caught up to Todoroki's long strides. "Although I'm really surprised you didn't hear the bell. You must've been deep in a daydream, huh?" He asked scratching the back of his neck.

"Something like that."

The rest of the walk to the cafeteria was uneventful. Midoriya tried to catch Todoroki up on a TV show Todoroki didn't personally watch, but most of the class did, so that he wouldn't be completely out of the loop. Although he tried to pay attention, Todoroki found that he couldn't totally focus on the conversation. The shorter male must've caught on yet again as he quickly wrapped up the one-sided conversation and fell into silence.

Before he knew it, Todoroki stood in the middle of the cafeteria. This was beginning to become a disturbing trend. He would be in one place and one blink later he'd be in a whole new location. Todoroki shook his head, trying to dislodge the fogginess in his brain. He let himself be led through the dining hall by his friend, too out of it to navigate himself. He really needed to get a grip. This was getting way out of hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Step one to looking like he was fine was to sit down. Todoroki felt his legs walk over to his usual table, Midoriya leading the way. Once he was there, he plopped into his seat, thankful to have a solid surface take away the strain in his wobbling limbs. Ok, step one was successful. Onto step two. Eat your food. Todoroki looked at the plate full of food in front of him. Just looking at it made his stomach clench. Any other day he'd be happy, excited even, that the cafeteria was serving cold soba. But because today just had to be a Wednesday, he was not. Of course, if he didn't indulge his friends would know something was off for a number of reasons. Cold soba was his favorite food, so leaving it on his plate would definitely send up red flags. Todoroki whipped his clammy palms against his uniform pants before grasping his chopsticks. His fingers fumbled slightly in the beginning, but after mentally scolding himself, he got it under control. He could do this. Now all he had to do was pick up some noodles from the plate and get them into his mouth. Getting something from point A to point B is easy. Nothing to worry about. Thankfully for the first time today he was correct. Todoroki scooped up a few stands of soba and shoved it into his mouth before he could think too hard about it.

Instant regret. All he could taste was blood. Such a familiar yet disturbing sensation. Todoroki nearly spat out what he had in his mouth. He could feel his gag reflex acting up, causing him to heave slightly. He quickly swallowed his food and the bile that was rapidly rising up his throat. No one at the table seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn't say anything. Ok step two could have gone better, but at least he did it. Now just repeat about fifty times and he was all set. Counting that as some small victory, Todoroki moved onto step three. Talk. Thankfully Todoroki was never the talkative type, so his lack of speech wasn't unheard of. What would be suspicious, however, was if he completely blocked out the conversation completely. He had to focus. He could do this.

Todoroki used his chopsticks to shove his noodles around as he checked back into reality. Midoriya and Iida seemed to be discussing the pervious lesson while Uraraka quietly chatted with Momo and Jiro. Wait, that weird. He hadn't remembered Momo or Jiro approaching the table. Todoroki was fairly sure that they weren't there when he first sat down, but then again, his memory couldn't exactly be trusted. Momo and Jiro never really sat with him, Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya, as they preferred to sit with some of the other girls in their class and even some in class 1-B. Why they were sitting with them today was a mystery to Todoroki. But even more strange was the neither of the girls had food in front of them. Perhaps they finished early? But then why come over to his table? Todoroki knew the Momo liked to get to class fairly early, so why not head back to the classroom? There was only five minutes left of lunch. Todoroki wasn't sure when that happened, but that wasn't his biggest concern at the moment. He couldn't think of a good reason for Momo to still be in the lunchroom. Unless, no. She wasn't there for him. Momo glanced in his direction and gave a small wave, which caused Uraraka to turn towards him.

"Todoroki, welcome back!" Uraraka greeted cheerfully.

Todoroki cocked his right eyebrow in confusion, "I didn't leave though."

The girls scoffed, mistaking his genuine response as a witty remark. "You were kinda spaced out the entire lunch period. You barley touched your food." Todoroki glanced at his bowl of mostly untouched soba. He could have sworn he had eaten more of it.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Midoriya spoke up. Of course he noticed though. Midoriya was one of Todoroki's most observant classmates, and he just so happened to be able to read Todoroki like a book. Todoroki hated it. "Are you ok? This isn't the first time today you acted like that."

Crap, he really wasn't doing a good job of convincing his classmates that he was fine. He'd just have to do better, which wasn't very surprising as everything he did was never good enough. Todoroki sighed. "I'm fine, I didn't get as much rest as I should have last night." He said hoping his voice stayed level and cold. He didn't want to push his friends away, but he couldn't have them worrying about him when they had so many other things to focus on. It wasn't fair to them and he wasn't worth the fuss. He could take care of himself. He'd done it before.

Iida stood up quickly, waving his hands up and down. "Getting the proper amount of sleep is very important, especially for a teenage boy as yourself. I recommend that you get a full eight hours of undisturbed rest." He stated.

"Lack of sleep doesn't explain why you didn't eat though." Jiro deadpanned. "So what's really up?"

The bell rung before Todoroki could answer the question. He quickly gathered up his uneaten food and made his way over to the trash cans. Thankfully he was able to stabilize his quivering hands by holding his dishes with a white-knuckled grip. That was close. He was stupid for thinking he could get anything by his friends. Todoroki put his dishes back and began walking back to the classroom, deciding it would be against his best interest to wait for his friends to catch up. The chaos of exiting the lunchroom fell upon his deaf ears, his head felt like it was floating. He was watching himself in a movie. He was himself but he also wasn't, and he was fine with that. Todoroki watched himself shuffle back to the classroom. Todoroki watched himself sit down. Todoroki watched himself ignore Momo's attempts at a conversation. He watched as he pulled out his notebook and his pen.

The bell chimed and class begun again. The sharp tone of the bell jolted Todoroki back into his own body, making him jump slightly in his seat. He blinked hard; his head downcast. He had to get it together. He was failing miserably and if his father taught him anything in all his years of training it was that failing wasn't an option. He had to get through the day. Although it crossed his mind more times than he'd like to admit, he couldn't just take the easy way out and go back to the dorms. Staying in his room the rest of the day would be questionable. There was only one thing he could do now. Do his best to pay attention and active during class.

As class progressed, Todoroki felt his brain clear up. The fog his mind was lost in was lifting and he could find his way again. He could see thoughts that were best to avoid and steer clear of them. Todoroki happily scribbled down notes from the lecture and listened intently, as if nothing had been wrong. Just the way he liked it. He was finally in control of his thoughts.

"Alright, go to the locker rooms and suit up." Aizawa commended. "We're going to be doing some basic fighting training before moving on to special move attacks. I hope you all prepared well for this afternoon's activities."

The class got up and dashed to the door in organized chaos, some students rushing to get ahead of other while some hung back to avoid doorway traffic. Todoroki fell into the second category, preferring to avoid physical contact as much as he possibly could. That was normal. What wasn't normal was Kirishima hanging back, only exiting the classroom before Todoroki. He couldn't think of a reason why the energetic read head would slow down and separate himself from his friends. Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, and Mina usually raced each other to the locker rooms. How odd. Todoroki payed no mind when Kirishima slowed down to walk beside him. The only reaction the shorter male received was a raised eyebrow and a questioning side glance.

"Hey Roki! Are you ready for hero training?"

Todoroki shrugged and continued looking forwards. While he was feeling much more held together than he did this morning, he still felt too mentally exhausted to participate in a conversation.

After a beat of silence Kirishima cleared his throat a little bit. "Um, Sero told me you seemed really off this morning, and I couldn't help to notice that something was going on. I just wanted to make sure that you were ok."

Oh. It made so much sense. Sero told Kirishima that Todoroki was acting off and then Kirishima hung back to make sure he was ok. Although the concern made his heart swell with a feeling he couldn't quite describe, he didn't have time to focus on the past. Sure he was barely keeping it together for the first half of classes, and sure he was going to be like that sometime in the future (probably next Wednesday, if his usual luck was anything to go by), the issues he was having were no longer relevant to his hero training and the rest of his classes.

"Ah, I figured that we would tell you about his concerns. I'm fine. Thank you for checking up on me though." As an afterthought he added "It means a lot to me."

Kirishima's eyes widened is surprise for a brief second before they softened to a caring gaze. "Don't mention it, bro. I know you're a pretty private dude, but remember that the whole class cares about you. We're here to talk whenever you want, ok?" His voice was soft and comforting. No wonder he was able to worm his way into even Bakugo's heart. Kirishima genuinely cared about the people around him and he had no trouble finding ways to express it, even in small gestures.

Todoroki swallowed thickly, alarmed at sudden swell of emotions he felt. "I understand. Thank you very much. You're a very good friend." He hoped he hadn't gone too far with that last comment, but Todoroki felt that Kirishima should know.

"Yo dude! I can't believe you just said that! You just made my day!"

And with that Kirishima happily talked the whole way to the locker rooms while Todoroki listened with a faint smile on his face. It felt good to finally have friends. Maybe Wednesdays weren't too horrible after all.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Todoroki and Kirishima arrived at the locker room, most of the other boys in the class had finished changing into their training uniforms, and most of them had filtered outside to do a quick warm up before class started. Knowing it would be best to stretch out a bit before staring combat training, Todoroki quickly changed out of his school uniform and into the school provided athletic clothes. Although he changed quickly, he was still the last one outside. Hm, he didn't think that much time had passed. No reason to worry though. He was definitely over his little episode. Everything was fine. He felt better than he did this morning, so there was nothing to worry about really.

Class was called to a start after Todoroki completed a few stretches. The stretches his father taught him to complete before and after training, although Todoroki couldn't recall a time where he could peel himself off the training room floor to actually do them. Aizawa called the class around him. Todoroki made sure to stand in the back of the group, one because he was one of the taller students, and two because the thought of standing in such close capacity with so many people made his stomach do little flips.

"Alright, for the first half of class we'll be doing basic combat training to hone the skills you've been taught during the past few weeks. I'm going to split you up into groups of two. After about ten to fifteen minutes you'll switch partners. Remember, no quirks for this exercise. The whole purpose of this is to focus on your physical defensive and offensive abilities." Aizawa pulled out a list from his pocket and rattled off the teams. "Mina with Koda, Ojiro with Yaoyorozu, Sato with Tokoyami, Iida with Jiro, Hagakure with Shoji, Uraraka with Kirishima, Aoyama with Asui, Sato with Midoriya, Bakugo with Mineta, and finally Todoroki with Kaminari."

Todoroki glanced at Kaminari, the younger male noticing how he shriveled under his gazed and only offered a small, unsure wave. Todoroki gave a small nod in return. No smile. No emotion. He knew it would be a fairly easy fight, considering that no quirks were allowed. Kaminari had little to no training outside of UA, while Todoroki, on the other hand, had far too many years of blood, sweat, and tears under his belt. Todoroki walked over to Kaminari to begin the exercise.

"H-hey Todoroki." Kaminari stuttered. After he only got a nod in response, he continued. "You'll go easy on me, right?" Todoroki shrugged, causing Kaminari to further shrivel under his gaze. "Hehe man, do you always gotta look so scary?"

Todoroki was taken aback. He hadn't meant to be scary. Sure, he was aloof, serious, and even a little cold towards others, but he hadn't meant to come off as scary. "I'm sorry. That's not what I intended."

Blinking Kaminari waved his hands in panic. "Woah, dude, its fine, really! I was just joking around!"

"Alright, get to your stations and begin. I'm starting the clock" Aizawa called from the corner of the arena.

Todoroki and Kaminari squared up. Todoroki waited for Kaminari to make the first move, hopeful that he would make a mistake within the first few swings. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kaminari had been practicing outside of class. Todoroki barely had time to block the swing to his gut before he had to worry about the right hook to his jaw. His natural reflexes took over and guided his mouth away from the punch. He blocked and dodged a few more advances before deciding that it was his turn to attack. Todoroki swung at Kaminari, pulling a fake out, pretending to go for his face and landing a hit in the gut. His opponent stumbled back a but before charging back at Todoroki. He was ready though, dodging Kaminari and tripping him. Todoroki scoffed a bit as the blonde-haired boy sat up and sighed.

"Laugh it up while you can, Todoroki. I'll pin you next time." Kaminari joked, his lips curling into a smile. Todoroki put out his hand and pulled his friend to his feet.

Todoroki shrugged at Kaminari's comment. "I mean, believe whatever helps you sleep at night."

Kaminari paused. "Did _the_ Todoroki just crack a joke? I thought I'd never live to see the day!"

He hadn't meant to make a joke, but Todoroki was glad that he could make the blonde laugh. The two boys rest the match. This time Todoroki was the first to attack, aiming a fist at Kaminari's face. It was deflected as he bought his forearm up to guard his face. The two entered another violent dance, going back and forth between attacking and defending. It was smooth, easy almost. Todoroki was used to it. It was familiar. He felt good. They both did their best to pin the other down but, neither could seem to get a grip on the other.

"Two minutes left. Make it worthwhile." Aizawa warned.

One minute Todoroki was standing and the next he was sprawled on the ground, his temple pounding. He sat up dizzy, his vision blurring slightly. A figure was walking towards him. Looming over him. Who was it? His father? No, it couldn't be. Where was he? There was no time to think about that though. The figure was getting closer. Todoroki's mind told him everything was fine. He was fine. Get up, you need to be stronger than this. Hurry. Dads getting closer. Wait, that's not the old man. But it is. All the sudden he's back in the training room. Blood dripping down his chin and neck. He crawled away from the oncoming boot that was making its way towards his rib cage. He was too slow. Foot collided with bone and Todoroki's body collapsed.

"Get. Up. Now." Endeavor roared. "This is pitiful." He used his toe to roll his son onto his back before he took his meaty hand gripped the front of his shirt, lifting him up to be eye level. Todoroki's head lolled back, barely conscious. "Look at you. To think such a strong power is being wasted on such a weak vessel." Todoroki felt himself being dragged across the wooden floor. Towards the- no. No. No. No. NO.

"Get off me" Todoroki grunted, attempting to claw his way out of his father's grasp. His efforts were futile. He heard the closet door open seconds before he was thrown into the tiny space. Before Todoroki could process what happened, the door was slammed, and the lock was clicked into place. "No, no, no." Todoroki mumbled banging against the thick wood of the door. Knowing his efforts were worthless, he curled up into a ball in the darkness, the already small space closing in on him. He shivered as he suppressed his panic. Freaking out wouldn't do him any good. He just had to stay calm. He'd be out of here soon enough. He just had to wait. And wait. And wait some more. No food. No water. No pain killers. No light. Just him and his thoughts.

A bang sent him reeling away from the door. How long had he been in there? His stomach was rumbling, and he felt ten times more exhausted than he did when he was first shoved into the closet. Suddenly the door was yanked opened and Todoroki was exposed to the intense heat from Endeavor's flames.

"Get up, it's time for your training."

His what? No, he finished for the day. He was done, why was his old man back? Unless, no that couldn't be right. "What time is it" Todoroki rasped; his throat not used to speaking.

"Ten AM, time for your daily session."

No way, he couldn't have been in there for almost twenty hours. His father pulled his son out of the closet and dumped him on the floor in a heap. "Stand up. Now."

Todoroki tried; he really did. But as soon as he put any weight on his legs, they crumpled under him. He was all out of strength. He let out a shuttered sob as his father paced around his broken body, which had curled in on itself. Todoroki continued to try and push himself off the floor using his forearms as support, only to collapse. He could practically feel his father get angrier at him with each failed attempt. He could feel his fathers icy gaze burning holes into his back, the ever-escalating heat, and the pulsing in his head. It was nauseating.

"Get up now. I'm sick and tired of you wasting my time pretending to be injured to get out of your duties. You know why you were created. You will fulfill your purpose!" His voice reverberated off the walls, crashing into Todoroki's eardrums.

He was dizzy. His consciousness was steadily slipping away from him. His eyes were sliding closed, and the only comforting thought was that he'd soon be pain free. He'd be back in his dark little safe haven. He was almost there, just a little bit longer. He could feel himself slipping away, further and further and furth-

SMACK

Todoroki was sent reeling back into present day, with a stinging cheek and tears leaking down his face. That's odd, he didn't remember crying, and why was he on the ground? Oh right, training, Kaminari 's fist. But that didn't explain why his class was surrounding him, why Aizawa was kneeling next to his head. They were close, too close. He needed to get away.

"Welcome back, Todoroki." Aizawa said softly. Todoroki just stared, his pupils dilated and his chest rising and falling rapidly. Aizawa must have sensed his panic as he turned to the rest of the class and mumbled "Back up. Resume your training. All Might will be supervising you for the rest of the lesson while I take Todoroki to Recovery Girl."

And with that the teacher helped Todoroki to his feet, not missing how his student flinched when he grabbed his shoulder to haul him up. Todoroki just stumbled along, his heart beating wildly out of his chest, his head still swimming with memories he really didn't want to revisit. He honestly had no idea where he was being led. He had heard Aizawa say something while he was laying on the ground, but he hadn't been able to process the words that came out of his mouth. It really didn't matter where Aizawa was leading him. Aizawa wasn't dangerous. Aizawa would never hurt him. Aizawa could be trusted. Or at least that's what he thought.

Directly in front of them was a door. A door that looked just like the closet back at home. Todoroki froze in his path, causing Aizawa to glance over his shoulder and raise his eyebrow. Todoroki took a small step back shaking his head. No. No way. He trusted Aizawa. He thought he was safe. He knew he performed badly in class today, but he couldn't just let himself be shoved in the dark space. Not when he could fight.

"Todoroki."

He took another step backwards.

"Todoroki. What's wrong?"

"I'm not going to be shoved in there."

"Wh-, Todoroki, I have no idea what you saw back there, but you have to believe me when I say that you're safe here."

Todoroki's steps faltered.

"Please, come with me. You can trust me."

He looked at Aizawa, who's face was softer than he had ever seen it. He looked at the door. Then back at Aizawa. Could he be trusted? Todoroki shook his head. Of course he could. Aizawa had never done anything to wrong him or his classmates in the past. In fact, he's only done the complete opposite. And although he tried to hide it, even Todoroki could tell that he cared about his students way more than he let on, if the USJ incident was anything to go off. Slowly Todoroki approached his teacher, who opened the door to Recovery Girl's office. Instantly his nostrils were bombarded with the sterile scent of medical supplies. Aizawa led Todoroki into the room and guided the dazed boy to a cot.

"Sit tight, I'm going to explain the situation to Recovery Girl."

Todoroki nodded numbly. The thin sheet crinkled under his weight as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Suddenly he was overwhelmed with the desire to sleep. He couldn't even process what had happened. He had gotten from point A to point B, but what had happened along the journey, he hadn't the foggiest. He was sparring with Kaminari before he blacked out. When he woke up all his classmates where surrounding him. Oh wait. His classmates were there. They saw. They all saw. How much had he given away? How much did they know? Todoroki felt like throwing up. Shit, he really screwed up. How stupid could he be? Everyone was going to ask questions. Questions he couldn't answer, and not just because it was a Wednesday and he didn't have the energy, but because he knew that they would misinterpret what was going on. Everything was fine. His father wasn't doing anything bad, just training him. Sure, he hated it and it hurt him, but his father's intentions were good. Everything was fine. He just had to keep on telling himself that, and now he was going to have to keep telling his classmates that as well. Todoroki's hands trembled as he lifted one up to his stomach and one up to his mouth. His stomach lurched. Thankfully Aizawa chose that exact moment to reenter the room. He reacted on instinct as he grabbed the trash bin in the corner of the room and thrust it into his student's hands just as his lunch made a second appearance.

Todoroki couldn't help but to think of the other times he threw up. When he first began training, from last week, and all the times between. He was thrown back into memories again, Aizawa's voice fading into his mother's shouts of protest and his father's roaring voice, rising to cancel out his wife of circumstance's softer one. He was curled up on the floor, a puddle of sickness underneath him. He attempted to sit up, but his limbs were lead and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to support the immense weight. His parents' voices faded in and out. The only thing he could tell was that his father was yelling and that his mom was crying. He felt warm tears spilling out of his eyes. He had to get up. Show mom that he was ok so that she would let the training resume. That way the fight would end. His attempts to move were ended when a loud slap echoed through the high-ceilinged room. Todoroki turned his head to look at his parents, his ears only picking up silence, a stark contrast from the previous storm of insults and pleading. His mother's head was turned to the side as she cradled her cheek gently, her eyes were wide. She slowly turned to look at his father. His father stood tall, menacing. His mother shrunk under his gaze having been reminded of her place.

Hands on his shoulders jolted Todoroki out of his head. He blinked his eyes, Aizawa's face coming into focus again. His teacher seemed relieved when Todoroki reacted to the touch and he retracted his hands. His teacher stood up to give Todoroki space, which was greatly appreciated.

Todoroki thought back to his visited memory. That was the first time Todoroki had ever seen his father lay a had on his mother. It didn't happen often, but in this case, once was more than enough. He had been getting closer to his mother after the sports festival, visiting her whenever he could. He hadn't thought of the first time he saw her get struck in a long time. Now that he was older, he questioned if that was really the first time his father laid a hand on her. After all, children were self-centered as in the sense that they could only process their own perspective. They weren't yet exposed to the perspective of others around them, and so their point of view was the only one that existed. Now that he thought about it, had his mother even wanted to have him? Or what about his siblings? While Todoroki accepted that his mother hadn't wanted to marry his father, he had always just assumed that his mother wanted children. Now that he thought about it, he realized that that may not necessarily be true. Who would want to birth children with a man they hated?

"-oki" Aizawa was seated in front of Todoroki again, as Recovery Girl entered the room. "What were you thinking about just then?"

Todoroki pressed his lips together and turned his head downwards. Aizawa could be trusted. "My mother." He stated simply. His voice was a little quieter than usual, but loud enough for his teacher to hear if he leaned in.

Aizawa nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Look, Recovery Girl and I spoke and there's nothing she can do for you. Not even your head. Not while you're in this state." He sighed. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

Todoroki stayed silent.

"I only want to help, and the only way I can help is if you tell me what's wrong."

Silence.

His teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you wont tell me what's wrong, why don't you just head back to your dor-"

"I was drifting."

Aizawa paused. "What?"

"Sometimes I drift around in my head. It usually isn't this bad. I'm fine."

"I don't think you are." Aizawa refuted.

Todoroki had no arguments. What was he supposed to say? There was nothing to say. As much as Todoroki wanted to deny it, he couldn't. Not anymore. His hands began to tremble again. He wasn't fine. Nothing about this was ok. Todoroki sat there defeated. For the first time in his life he accepted the truth. Todoroki Shoto was far from ok. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes and his lip began to quiver. No way he was going to cry in front of his teacher again.

Aizawa leaned closer to Todoroki before speaking. "Todoroki, it's ok to cry."

And with that, the dams burst. Todoroki shook and shuttered as fat tears rolled down his flushed face. He hunched over, his back shaking. He tried to stifle the noises he was making by biting his lip. It didn't work. A small whine escaped his mouth and he threw a hand up to muffle it.

"Can I touch you?"

Todoroki felt himself nod. A few seconds later he felt the cot dip next to him and a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles. Todoroki sobbed and his teacher sat in silent understanding. Now wasn't the time for a pep talk, or to lecture him about how it's ok to talk about one's feelings, or even about how he should've said something sooner. Now was the time for silence and crying.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Todoroki's sobs subsided, classes for the day were over. The boy sat on the cot, eyes puffy and red, utterly exhausted. Aizawa still hadn't let him go. Todoroki let his head rest on his mentor's shoulder, too tired to care about his appearance anymore. The cat was out of the bag. What was left of his dignity anyway? He had just spent the past few hours crying on his homeroom teacher's shoulder in the infirmary after a major freak out in class. Everyone was there, staring at him. Who knows how much his classmates saw? Todoroki was sure they saw enough. Now everyone would know how weak he really was. They would never look at him the same way. Did they even want to be friends with him anymore? Todoroki wouldn't be surprised if they distanced themselves after his little episode. He couldn't complain though. The friendships he'd established went on for much longer than he anticipated. He knew he would ruin it at some point. That's what always happens. That's what happened with his family anyway.

Todoroki's train of thought was derailed as Aizawa shifted on the mattress to get a better view of his student's tearstained face. "I'm not going to make you explain any of this right now, but I do expect some sort of explanation in the next few days."

Todoroki opened his mouth to dismiss his teacher's concern. Afterall he didn't really deserve it. Aizawa had much bigger problems to worry about. Why waste his limited energy making sure Todoroki was ok? It didn't make any sense. He wasn't worth it.

"Don't you dare say that was nothing. It wasn't nothing." Aizawa said with a stern yet caring tone. He got off the bed to kneel in front of Todoroki, making sure to keep eye contact with him. "You aren't ok, and you don't have to be. No one is ok all the time. If you were, I probably wouldn't believe you were human." The pro hero sighed before continuing. "Todoroki, everyone here cares about you. They want to help you. It's up to you to let them. The ball is in your court."

Todoroki just stared at him. He was confused. He knew he had friends, and he knew that they liked his presence, but why would they want to deal with his problems? Everyone had their own baggage to worry about. They didn't need his as well. It would only get in their way. That was the last thing that Todoroki wanted. He was lucky enough that they even offered him friendship in the first place.

After it was clear that Todoroki wasn't going to say anything and that Aizawa's words went right over his head, his teacher stood up. "You look like death warmed over. How about you head to your room?" He suggested.

Todoroki nodded and swayed to his feet, his vision turning white for a second as punishment for standing up too fast. Once his sight came back to him, Todoroki bowed to his teacher. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've caused." He then turned and walked out the infirmary before his teacher could open his mouth to argue. Todoroki was well aware of the state of his face by the tightness of the tear tracks on his cheeks and by the way his eyes were swollen into slits. Deciding that he couldn't walk through the school looking as weak as he did right then, he took a detour to the closest bathroom.

For the second time that day, Todoroki found himself staring into the mirror. His eyes were red, watery, and puffy beyond belief. His skin was a few hues paler than it usually was, making him look almost sickly. He had the remnants of tear tracks on both of his cheeks, but that was an easy fix, so he didn't focus on that too long. Aizawa was right. He did look like death warmed over. He looked almost as bad as he felt. He felt even more shakier than he had this morning, and now he had a massive headache in tow. Todoroki suspected the pounding in his head was from dehydration, but he couldn't be sure. He wasn't sure about anything anymore. Did his class really care about him? Well, Todoroki knew that they cared about him to some degree, otherwise why even talk to him at all? But they didn't care about him in the sense that they'd have to go past any of his carefully constructed walls. They liked superficial Todoroki. They hadn't experienced the real Todoroki. They got a taste of him today.

Sighing he splashed cold water on his face, scrubbing away any sign of tears he could. He stared back in the mirror. He looked like a drowned sewer rat. Pitiful. Ugly. Weak. Todoroki gripped the counter, missing the thin coating of frost the spread from his right hand. He bit his lip. He had to keep it together. He indulged in more than enough self-pity for the day. He had to get his act together. Even Todoroki was disappointed in his behavior. He was ashamed. Embarrassed. Maybe this school was making him softer, as his father suggested. Maybe he should leave. It's not like he had any friends anymore.

Deciding that there wasn't much more he could do to disguise the fact he'd been crying; Todoroki resumed his walk back to the dorms. Praying for two things. One, that no one saw him, and two, if they did see him that they wouldn't ask questions. He kept his head down and moved swiftly, his footsteps barely making a sound, an important skill he learned to survive at home. He could remember days where he crept down to the kitchen to get food, as sometimes the diets his father put him on weren't enough to keep his hunger at bay. He knew which steps were creaky and which cabinets to avoid. Never take anything that would be noticed. If his father knew of his two AM snacks, there would be hell to pay, more than there usually was anyway. Being quiet and unnoticed was an essential skill for the children of Todoroki Enji.

Crunch

Todoroki's foot crushed a dead leaf that was laying on the sidewalk. He froze. It wasn't loud, but it was loud enough. Frantic eyes searched his surroundings for any threats. There were a few students here and there, but none of them payed Todoroki any mind. Still, that noise could've been a death wish. Children are seen, not heard. Maybe his father heard. No. That's impossible. He's at home. Not here. Not at UA. Todoroki took a deep breath and shook out his tense limbs. He was safe here at UA. No one was going to punish him for crunching a leaf. Everything was ok.

Satisfied that his safety wasn't in jeopardy, Todoroki continued his hike back to the dorms. He was almost there. Almost to his classmates. He prayed to whatever god was out there that his former friends were either in their rooms or that they just ignored him. It's not like they would want anything to do with him anymore. He screwed everything up. Again. That seemed to be a running theme in Todoroki's life. Anything nice he was ever given was destroyed by his foolishness, by his stupid slip ups. He was expecting this though, but he wasn't prepared to go back to his old life. Lonely, cold, quiet, angry, sad, scared. Todoroki suppressed a shudder. It was better to just accept it and steel himself for his new way of living. Or rather his old way of living. No friends, no one to talk to, no one to make him laugh. Nothing. Just his father and occasionally Fuyumi. Its not like his sister didn't try to be there for him, it was rather the opposite really. She was in a difficult place. Being an adult and having a job, while also trying to help Todoroki when he would let her. It must've been an exhausting cycle. Wake up, avoid father while getting ready for work, get to work, keep twenty excitable five-year-olds in line, come home, avoid father, try to help Todoroki, make dinner, check on Todoroki, go to sleep, repeat. The last thing she needed was more problems, so even when she did try to help him, it was just better that he pushed her out. To tell her everything was fine. He felt bad enough that she still felt it necessary to live in her childhood home just to supervise her youngest brother. She was really too caring for her own good.

Before he knew it, the dorm entrance was right in front of him. He didn't do a very good job preparing himself. Todoroki stood outside the door trying to listen for voices. Shouting caused his head to throb. Bakugo was definitely there. There were a few voices telling the angry student to calm down and some laughs. Sounded like Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima, Tsuyu, and Sero were all in the room. Maybe more. He shook his head; it was better to just rip the band aid off quickly. He opened the door and took a few steps into the room, keeping his head angled downwards to hide his red, puffy eyes. He shut the door as quietly as he could. So far no one noticed him. Probably too preoccupied with whatever Bakugo was shouting about. He took a few more cautious steps into the room. Still no one payed any attention. Maybe they were ignoring him? Todoroki had hoped he was wrong about the whole friendship thing. He had hoped they would forgive him for being so weak. But apparently that was not the case. He felt his eyes well with tears. He would not cry here. He already showed his classmates how weak he was this morning; they didn't need more incriminating evidence to use against him. Todoroki moved as quickly as he could while remaining quiet. Almost to the stairs. Just a few more feet.

"Yo, Todoroki! Long time no see!"

Kirishima. Of course he'd notice. Todoroki paused, his back still to his classmates. He wasn't sure of what he should do. Run? No, that would destroy any chance he had left of friendship. Face them? Then they'd see that he was crying, then they would see him as even weaker than they already did. Keep his back to them? Still not a great option, but at least it would show that he would listen to what they had to say, and they wouldn't see his eyes.

"Are you feeling any better?"

That was Mina. Did she really care though, or was she just going to poke fun at him? He felt trapped. Every answer he could give was wrong. He had no idea what to do. He had no idea how social interactions worked. He froze. It was the only thing his body knew to do apparently. His limbs tensed and he could feel his hands start to tremble again. The tears that were stuck in his eyes were about to spill over his bottom lashes. Crap, crap, crap. Not here. He had to make it stop. He didn't care how, it just had to stop. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. Hard. He could feel his fingernails digging four crescent moons into each of his palms. He didn't care though. He could deal with that later.

He heard some rustling behind him. Was someone getting off of the couch? Approaching him? Hopefully not.

"Hey, Bakugo, get go of m-" Kirishima protested.

"It's obvious that Icyhot doesn't want to talk. Just let him go."

Todoroki was almost tempted to turn around to the scene the was occurring behind him. He thought he heard concern in Bakugo's voice, but he couldn't be sure. It would help if Todoroki had facial cues to go off of as well, but even then, he still wouldn't be able to read the situation properly. It wasn't possible that Bakugo would be concerned for him. Bakugo wasn't concerned about anyone, well except for maybe Kirishima, but even then, he never let it show.

He heard Kirishima sigh. Then he heard Bakugo scold as a few steps were taken towards him. Todoroki tensed. What was Kirishima doing? He thought Bakugo had him under control. Why wasn't he listening to Bakugo? Todoroki felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Its thumb rubbed subtle circles into his tense muscle. Todoroki hated that he found comfort in the touch. How soft did he get?

"I'm not gonna make you talk if you don't want to, but whenever you're ready, just find me." The redhead sputtered. "I-I mean you can talk to anyone in the class, but you can come to me especially, ok? We all care about you, and I don't really know what's going on, but sometimes talking it out makes you feel better, and that's all we want, is for you to feel better." The others in the room nodded, their heads moving up and down quickly. Kirishima continued, "I know I sure as hell want you to be happy, and if there's anything any of us can do, just say the word." Kirishima gave Todoroki a small pat on the shoulder and he backed off a bit, only taking a few steps, willingly giving Todoroki the option to retreat. For a reason Todoroki couldn't quite explain, he just stood there, rooted to the floor. He wanted to run away, tail between his legs, but he couldn't find it in himself to actually do it. He felt what little composure he had slipping away. He was positive that there would be tears cascading down his face in any second. Todoroki's bottom lip began to quiver. Not again. He would never be able to swallow the shame.

It was too late though. Before he could even attempt to stop it, a salty drop escaped his blue eye and ran down his cheek. After that they just kept falling. One after the other. Hitting the tiled floor with a slight plat sound. Todoroki clamped his lip between his teeth and blinked hard, trying to get the sensation to pass. It wasn't working. What was the point anyway? Kirishima knew already, if the shocked inhale he gave was any inclination. Why not just let it go? Drop the mask for a bit? It was already shattered beyond repair.

He turned around.

Kirishima's eyes were the size of dinnerplates. He was absolutely in shock. Great Todoroki scared him. He couldn't do anything right. He looked at the rest of his classmates, his head still angled slightly at the ground. Mina looked as if she were about to cry as well, her black and yellow eyes were brining with water as her bottom lip puckered out. She clung onto Tsuyu who also looked deeply upset, her eyebrows furrowing and her mouth in a stern solemn frown. The other two boys stood in shock much like Kirishima, Although Sero muttered about how he should have done something sooner. All of his classmates were in pain, and it was all his fault. This was a bad decision. A bad, bad, bad decision. It was stupid. He was stupid. It's what he got for shoving his problems onto other people.

Kirishima suddenly closed the distance and engulfed Todoroki in a bone crushing hug. He situated his chin on Todoroki's shoulder and pulled him in close.

"You are so not ok."

Todoroki felt himself shaking with each cry.

"It's totally fine not to be one hundred percent all the time. You know that right?"

Todoroki shook his head. "It's not."

Kirishima retracted from the hug to look Todoroki in the eyes. "What do you mean? Of course it is." He stated seriously. "I can't tell you how many times I've felt sad, or like I couldn't do it, or even that I wasn't good enough. What's important is that you recognize that it's ok and normal to feel that way from time to time. I think having moments like that makes you more manly."

Todoroki scoffed at that. He felt as manly as a little baby girl just bought into the world. How could a blubbering idiot like himself be labeled as manly? Men were strong. They didn't cry. They didn't mope around like a loser. Todoroki defiantly wasn't a man.

"Dude, I'm being completely serious. Getting over this kind of crap isn't easy. I'd know. You come out stronger than before though. That's what makes it so manly." Kirishima moved to stand next to him, finally giving him a clear view of Bakugo, who sat on the couch looking extremely uncomfortable. If Todoroki was correct, he looked almost scared. Maybe worried even. He was on the edge of the sofa, looking as if he were either about to turn tail and run or spring into action. He was staring at his classmates, perplexed. It was clear that he hadn't expected this turn of events. When he realized that the two boys were staring right back, he quickly averted his attention and slowly leaned back into the couch, attempting to look as nonchalant as he possibly could.

"Aren't I right, Bakugo?"

Bakugo shook his head at being dragged into a situation he was clearly trying to avoid. "I guess." Kirishima gave him a look that said, 'are you kidding, that's not what Todoroki needs to hear'. Bakugo sat up more again. "Look, I don't know who told you that not being ok was off limits, but who ever they are, they're dumb as fuck." He shook off Kirishima's small "come on man" and continued. "No one is great all the time, not even me, believe it or not."

"Oh, I believe it alright" Sero teased.

"Shut it Soy Sauce Face!" He returned his attention to Todoroki, who thankfully had stopped crying. "Look I know that someone messed you up bad, I don't know who it is, or how that translates into your everyday life, but Shitty Hair's right. Everyone here has your back."

Todoroki was taken aback. One of the things he most appreciated about Bakugo was his no-nonsense attitude. He never did or said anything he didn't mean, so why would he go out of his way to lie to someone he made it clear he didn't particularly like all too much. But still, the doubt was still there. Was this a prank the others had somehow gotten his explosive classmate in on? Todoroki knew how persuasive Mina could be when she set her mind to it. Things weren't adding up. Why would they still respect him, like him after the way he carried on earlier today? He was weak. His weakness could jeopardize his classmates' future goals and aspirations. If anyone knew that, it was Bakugo. So why was he supporting him? It had to be a joke. A sick prank. Todoroki was correct. He had destroyed everything he had within one class period. He should have seen it coming.

"Yo, Roki? Wanna sit down? You look sorta pale?"

No answer.

"…Ok, well I'm just gonna lead you to a chair."

Kirishima placed a gentle hand on the taller boy's shoulder and started to lead him over to the couch where Bakugo sat. Todoroki was too lost in his mind to realize what was happening until he was about halfway to the seat. He snapped into awareness. He knew he was just being made fun of. He whirled out of Kirishima's grasp, surprising his classmate who withdrew his hand suddenly.

"Why are you doing this?"

The read head cocked and eyebrow and tilted his head as if he were a confused puppy. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Why are you acting like you care? Is this some sort of joke?"

"Wha- no! Did you think we were playing around?" Kirishima said in disbelief, before slumping and looking hurt. "I thought we were having a heart to heart back there."

Todoroki's eyes widened in shock. An over whelming sense of guilt chewed at him. Great. He just made Kirishima upset. He didn't deserve to be treated like that. Kirishima was one of the most thoughtful and genuine people he knew. Todoroki's mother used to tell him about angles who were sent down to earth to make the world a better place. He was pretty sure that Kirishima was one of them. He never saw the guy give up on others or pass on the chance to lend a hand to anyone who needed it, not to mention that he was the only person who was able to crack open Bakugo's steel enforced 'I'm too good for the likes of you' mentality. He was just naturally kind. And Todoroki hurt him because of course that's what he did. That's what he always did. Ruin everything without even trying to.

"I-I'm sorry. I just can't understand why anyone would still respect me after my incident this morning. I looked like an idiot. I looked weak."

Kirishima's face flashed several emotions within the same second. First confusion, then realization, then shock, then concern, and then an emotion Todoroki didn't see too often on his face: anger. Kirishima was mad.

"Dude, you gotta drop this whole strength complex you have. I'm glad you had your little outburst actually. It showed us all that you're human."

"Did you think that I wasn't?"

"Not me, but Kaminari convinced Sero that you were an android or something."

Todoroki heard the two boys sputter in panic at being called out. He heard a mumbled "not cool" and "really, you had to tell him?", although he wasn't sure who said what, as laughter drowned out most of the speech.

"Oh"

"That's besides the point though. Humans have emotions, which means you have emotions, and that's ok. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide them. Actually, you really shouldn't ignore them. It's really unhealthy." Kirishima walked over and sat on the couch, and this time Todoroki joined him. "We were all just really worried about you today."

"I didn't want to worry anyone."

"Hey, worrying is what friends do best. You can't stop it no matter how hard you try." Kaminari sighed. "Look, I know this is a hard concept for you to wrap your head around, but everyone in this class really does care about you. We want to help you be happy, you just gotta let us in."

Todoroki nodded. "I'll try." He looked back at Kirishima who had a soft smile on his face and then to the rest of his classmates. "Thank you… for everything."

"No biggie, its just what friends do."

Todoroki, Kirishima, and Bakugo relaxed on the couch, while Mina and Tsuyu shared an armchair and Sero and Kaminari sat on the floor, a comfortable silence falling upon them. It was probably the most relaxed Todoroki had felt all day. It was the first time all day his muscles were slack, his heart wasn't beating out of his chest, and his lungs didn't feel like they were being crushed. It was the first time in his life he didn't care who saw how he was feeling. He didn't need to hide his swollen eyes, his tear stained face or his utterly exhausted expression from anyone here.

The peacefulness was disturbed by Bakugo sitting up on and turning towards his other two classmates. "I don't care what went down with you, but the rest of the class may want an explanation. Just a fair warning."

Todoroki nodded, his head tilted back, and his eyes closed. He was ready to tell them. He was ready to tell them everything. He was finally going to accept the help he desperately needed. Maybe this Wednesday wasn't as horrible as Todoroki initially thought it to be.


	6. Chapter 6

***This chapter does touch on the topic of self harm. If that's something you can't read, skip this chapter. If you want to know what happened, just leave a comment asking for a summary and I'll be more than happy to write one for you! Stay safe!***

Todoroki thought he was more ready than he really was. What was he thinking? He couldn't tell them the truth. He was stupid for even entertaining the idea in the first place. What would his father do if he caught wind that Todoroki told his classmates about his homelife? He could kiss his life goodbye. His father would definitely punish him harshly for misstepping that badly. Todoroki could picture it now: being dragged to the training room by his hair, being thrown to the ground, cracked ribs, bloody nose, split lip, black dots in his vision, hurled insults once he finally stopped trying to get back up. Todoroki would rather avoid that outcome if at all possible, and thankfully for him, it was. He just wouldn't say anything. What was he supposed to say anyways? "Sorry guys, I just had a PTSD flashback to my father beating me senseless during our usual training sessions. Won't happen again". No thanks. It was easier, better to just not say anything. Lie through his teeth. Say something about lack of sleep or thinking about the USJ villain attack, something his class could relate to and hopefully take the attention away from Todoroki as his classmates shared their own feelings and experiences. It was decided. Todoroki Shoto was not going to tell the truth.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable wedged between Bakugo and Kirishima on the couch. They were too close. He already showed everyone too much. It was time to slip his mask back on. He opened his eyes and rose from the couch, causing Kirishima to sit up from his previously reclined posture, while Bakugo merely cracked open his eyes and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Where are you going, dude?" Kirishima asked Todoroki, seeming slightly concerned about what Todoroki's response would be. The others in the room focused their attention on the scene unfolding in front of them in curiosity. There was too much attention on Todoroki. Usually he didn't mind eyes staring at him, after all, he was used to it due to his physical appearance. Big, ugly scars located on such an exposed area as the face usually got a lot of head turns, and his hair coloration certainly didn't help either. But right now was a different story. Strangers were just that. Strangers. They didn't matter. They were as Bakugo may describe as extras. The people in the common room now mattered. Todoroki saw them almost every day. They wanted to learn about Todoroki. They were looking for something. He had already put them on edge by cracking his cool and composed demeanor. He felt suffocated. Perhaps this is what a microbe under a microscope felt.

"My room." He deadpanned. "I'm very tired."

"Its gonna be dinner time soon though." Kaminari stated pointing to the clock. "Are you sure you're gonna have time to take a nap?"

Todoroki only nodded before continuing towards the door. He could hear the group exchange worried whispers back and forth as he left the room. He was positive that the subject at hand was him. They probably thought they made progress with Todoroki, and honestly, he had thought that too for a minute. It was only after he thought about the repercussions for such bold actions did he retract any progress he gained. It wasn't worth it.

He meandered up the steps, his head hanging down with his hair serving as a curtain for his eyes. He was going to get his act together. He just needed to regroup in his room briefly before facing the rest of his class. Todoroki didn't even remember exiting the stairwell and opening the door to his room, but nevertheless there he was. He stood in the middle of his room for a brief minute beginning to process the grave he had dug for himself today. He eventually made his way over to his futon and let his body flop onto the plush bedding. He stayed face down, his nose smashed into the pillows, for as long as he could. Eventually it became hard to breathe, so he rolled to his side. Suddenly he felt the urge to cry again. To rip out his hair. To destroy his room. To slice his arms up. All of it at once. Todoroki curled up in a ball and squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't do it. Especially not that last one. He remembered when his father had discovered some cuts when he was in middle school. It was the biggest mistake of his life. He felt his mind spiraling into a memory. He had to ground himself. Get up. Do something. He willed his muscles to move. Nothing. They weren't listening. Look at the surroundings. What color were the blankets? Blue. How about the wall? Brownish. How many panels in the sliding doors? 1, 2, 3,…. 4,…

He drifted.

He hadn't even been home for 10 minutes before his father stormed into his room, disrupting the 13 year-old's study session. Todoroki jumped slightly at the sound of the door slamming open and whirled to face his father standing in the doorway.

"Hurry Shoto, there's food on the table for you. Eat quickly and meet me in the training room in 15 minutes." And with that, the number two hero spun on his heel and left.

Todoroki put his pen down and stood slowly. He still felt sore from the session a few days ago. He wasn't ready for another training block with his father. At least he was letting Todoroki eat before they started. He would no doubt throw it up after the combat was kicked into high gear, but he was feeling rather hungry and knew he would likely pass out without it. He briskly walked to the dining area before kneeling at the table and eating the perfectly rationed food he was so used to consuming. Almost the same meal every day. Sometimes Todoroki thought about sneaking a school made lunch and throwing out his packed lunch, but the risk of his father finding out was too high and the small act of rebellion wouldn't be worth the beating in the end. He quickly scooped the food into his mouth before checking the clock. He had six minutes to get to the training room. He sped walked back to his room to change from his school uniform to more appropriate wear. He pulled out a pair of athletic shorts and slipped them on before pondering his shirt options. Of course short sleeves were out of question. That left him the choice of a long sleeved t-shirt or a thermal shirt. The neither option was the most desirable, but that was his own fault. Either way he'd be overheated, even with the usage of his right side. The long sleeved t-shirt may be the cooler option of the two, but it was looser. What if his sleeve slipped up? He couldn't risk it. Todoroki peeled off his uniform shirt and tossed it over to the general direction of his hamper. As he reached into his drawer to pull out his shirt of choice, his bedroom door banged open, causing the boy to jump slightly and drop the top he was holding. He froze in fear. There his father was, standing in his doorway yet again. Heat rolled off him in waves, causing Todoroki to choke on the overly dry air.

"What's taking you so long!" He questioned in his booming voice, "You should've been in there two minutes ago. You're lucky I even gave you that!" His father began storming towards the thirteen year old, a meaty hand shooting out towards him. "Never mind getting dressed. You took too long to earn that privilege."

Todoroki's heart plummeted into his stomach. He was going to see. He had to hide his arms. He had to get that shirt. He made a mad dash to the shirt that was laying on his bedroom floor. He was so close. He felt his heart start up again when his fingers brushed against the smooth fabric. He was going to be ok.

His heart stopped again when he felt the material being wrenched out of his hands. His father grabbed the shirt, and threw it across the room, scorching the material in the process. "What did I say? You lost that privilege. Get going now, before you regret it!" He reached down to grab Todoroki's left forearm to presumably drag him to the training room himself, halting just before his hand latched onto the appendage. "What's that on your arm?" Todoroki stared in shock at the concern on his father's voice. He didn't answer. "I said, WHAT. IS. THAT. ON YOUR ARM, SHOTO?" There was the screaming Todoroki was expecting. He flinched back, bringing his arm up to his bare chest, attempting to hide it from his father's red hot gaze. He winced in pain as Endeavor yanked his arm towards his hulking body to study it more closely. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?"

No answer. He couldn't even form words. His mind was trying to figure a way out of this. He could only think about the hot, tight grip around his arm. Todoroki hung his head in shame as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. There was nothing he could do. The battle was lost. Looking back, it was stupid to choose his wrists. It was stupid to even do it in the first place.

Endeavor yanked Todoroki's hair, causing him to grimace and tilt his chin up to relieve some of the pain. "YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU." His father stated sternly, venom oozing out of each syllable. Todoroki shifted his eyes to look into his father's. He luckily released his hold on Todoroki's hair. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I SPEND ON YOU?" his grip tightened on his son's wrist. "YOU'RE AN INVESTMENT. I DON'T WANT DAMAGED GOODS." A pause. "YOU KNOW HOW WEAK THIS IS, AM I CORRECT?" Endeavor leaned in close to Todoroki's face, flinging spit at him, his veins bulging. He threw Todoroki's arm away from him as if it were the most offensive thing in the world. Being freed from his father's grasp, Todoroki cowered away into the corner of his room, his hands pressing into his ears. "I AM DISGUSTED BY YOUR INABILITY TO STAY STRONG. THIS IS THE WEAK MAN'S WAY OF DOING THINGS. NO SON OF MINE WILL BE CAUGHT DEAD WITH SELF INFLICTED INJURIES!"

Hot tears spilled out of Todoroki's eyes as he shook in fear. He curled his knees up into his chest and pressed his back into the wall behind him, wishing it would swallow him whole. Anything to get him away from his father.

"LOOK AT YOU. COWERING IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM CRYING. I DIDN'T RAISE WHATEVER THIS IS!" Endeavor walked over to his son and pulled him up by his hair yet again. "BE A MAN FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE. STAND. UP. NOW!"

Todoroki did as he was told. He stood. Hyperventilating. His heart beating a mile a minute. His knees buckling in fear. His arms trembling by his sides.

SLAP

He recoiled; a bright red handprint now visible on his face. The stinging sensation momentarily stopped his tears. He bought a trembling hand up to his buzzing cheek and slowly turned his head to look back at his father who towered over him, staring at him with hellfire in his eyes. Todoroki had never seen his father angrier. Suddenly he feared for his life in the first time in a while.

"I don't even want to look at you. No meals for the rest of today, and I better not see you for the next few days." He said sternly, spitting on his son. His father turned to leave. Before he left the room completely, he turned his head so he could see Todoroki in his peripherals. "Shoto, if I see you marking up my canvas again, there will be hell to pay. Remember your place." And with that the door was jolted closed.

That was the first time Todoroki was struck outside of training.

A sudden knock on his door forced himself out of his head. He was back in his dorm at UA, still curled up in a ball on his futon. Todoroki shakily sat up, breathing heavily. His face felt wet. Why? For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, he didn't recall starting to cry. He hung his head in shame. He came up to his room to get a grip, but he had done the complete opposite. What was wrong with him today? He really was getting soft. Maybe his father was right. UA wasn't right for him, especially with all his classmates around. Personal connections made you weak. Friends made you weak. Love made you weak. He didn't deserve any of that stuff anyway. Maybe it was time to retreat behind his walls again. The idea made Todoroki's stomach feel heavy. He didn't want to go back to how he was before. It was cold. It was harsh. It was condescending. It was fake. He rolled off of his futon and stood shakily while scrubbing the tear tracks off of his face. His head pounded and his eyes burned from post-crying dryness. There was another hesitant knock on the door. A few beats of silence. Then a voice.

"Uh, Todoroki?" Yaoyorozu said from behind his door. "I just wanted to let you know that dinner is almost ready... I hope to see you down there."

She sounded concerned, and if Todoroki was coming to the right conclusion, defeated? Why would she feel defeated? It made no sense to him. Before he knew what he was doing, his bare feet padded across the floor, his hand on the doorknob. He twisted the door open, uncovering a shocked yet upset looking Yaoyorozu. He stood there unsure of why he just did what he did. She looked at his face, absorbing his features, her eyebrows furrowing in worry and her lips warping into a concerned grimace.

"Todoroki, what's wrong?"

He stood there unable to say anything. Yaoyorozu was concerned about him. Why did he open the door in the first place? He must've had an objective somewhere in his scattered brain. What was it? Todoroki just couldn't decide what it was that made him open the door. Even if he could remember why, it wouldn't change the fact that it was a stupid decision. He needed to learn to be less impulsive. He needed to be better. It was unbecoming of the future number one hero. He was horrible. He was ignorant. He was a failure. Just another screw up. He was-

Yaoyorozu took his hands in hers. "Look at me." He did. "I'm concerned about you. I don't know what's happening. I need you to tell me how I can help you." Her voice wobbled. "I can't go on seeing you like this. I care about you too much." She bit her quivering lip before taking a deep, unsteady breath. "I want to help you. Please, just tell me how I can do it. Please Todoroki." Wet, fat tears rolled down her pale cheeks. She pressed herself against Todoroki and wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her warm tears soaking into this training uniform. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a closer hug. More tears stung his eyes. This time he let them fall.

The two of them stood like that for a few minutes before Yaoyorozu detangled herself to look at her friend again. She wiped at his tears with her delicate fingers before giving a sniveling chuckle. "We really are a mess today, aren't we?"

Todoroki gave her a small, wet smile, agreeing. They both took a deep breath before heading down the hall towards the kitchen area. The silence between them was comfortable, almost comforting. Yaoyorozu wasn't demanding answers. She wasn't trying to worm her way into all his problems. She respected and understood his need for privacy. She got him.

Just outside the entrance of the common area, she stopped him. "We can talk later, if you want. Just know I'm always here for you. I understand that you may not want help fixing things, but sometimes just talking about it makes you feel better." She gave him a sweet smile before leading the way over to the dinner table. Todoroki hesitantly followed her.

"Hey, there they are!" Mina called out, waving at the duo.

All heads turned towards Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, much to his displeasure. He hung his head slightly and made his way over to his usual spot next to Midoriya and Iida. The two boys turned to look and smile at him, along with the rest of the class. Todoroki pursed his lips and nodded at them, silently willing everyone to stop staring. It didn't work. Todoroki shrunk into his chair and poked at his food, making sure to keep his eyes downcast. The eyes of his classmates bore holes into his body. The stares were choking him, suffocating him. He couldn't bring himself to lift his tearstained face and return their expectant glances. They were looking for something. Dissecting him with their eyes. Attempting to dig into his problems, to solve them, to find out the mystery behind his behaviors. It was too much. He cleared his throat slightly to shatter the silence.

Thankfully Midoriya snapped out of his haze and took lead of the conversation, pulling the attention away from Todoroki. One by one, his classmates broke into their own conversations, and were too preoccupied to notice Todoroki's silence, or to notice how he didn't eat more than a few bites, or how his hands shook slightly. Everyone but Iida. The ever vigilant class representative believed that it was his job to keep everything in tip-top shape. That included making sure the students themselves were in peak condition. Todoroki knew that he took his position seriously. Perhaps too seriously, but that was just Iida being Iida. Going above and beyond to fulfill his duties was the essence of the speedster.

The class representative coughed quietly to catch Todoroki's attention. The dual colored haired boy turned his head slightly at the noise to let Iida know he was listening. "I was quite concerned after your display today during class. As your class representative its my job to check in, but as your friend its my job to make sure you're ok."

Todoroki swallowed thickly. "I'm fine. Thank you for the concern, but there's no need for it." He let his exhaustion bleed through his words, hoping it would encourage Iida to leave him alone. Thankfully it did. The elder boy nodded and returned his attention back to his food and the conversations around him. Todoroki wished he could do the same thing. He tried to pay attention to the different words floating around the dinner table, but he couldn't manage to focus for more than a few minutes at a time. Let his mind wander against his best judgment. He picked his head up and glanced at his classmates joking with each other, laughing, telling stories, gossiping. Just normal teenager things. Todoroki wondered what it would be like to be normal. To not have the number two pro hero as a father. To not have a mother in a mental hospital due to years of abuse. To have all his siblings on talking terms. To not be afraid to be in his own house. To not panic when heavy footsteps thudded towards him. To not be scared by a tea kettle scream. To not be beaten for the sake of training. To not feel like a disappointment for once in his life.

He put his elbow on the table and threaded his fingers in the red side of his hair. Why couldn't he be normal? Why did he have to get dealt the bad hand? Maybe he screwed up in a past life and was being punished now. His head pulsed with his heart. It wasn't worth thinking about. He was stuck in his situation and that was that. There was no changing it, there was no escaping it. Maybe he deserved it. His father wouldn't need to train him so hard if he weren't so horrible at everything.

What was he saying? His father was a scumbag. Why was Todoroki trying to justify his actions? His father had no right to treat his mother the way he did. He has no right to treat his siblings the way he does. He had no right to treat Touya like that. He has no right to treat Shoto like a human punching bag. Endeavor was a monster in a human body. Sudden red hot rage coursed through his veins. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. He had a right to a normal life, just like all his classmates had. His left hand started to steam as his fire side started to heat up while his ice tried to cool it down. He needed t get a grip on his emotions. Go back to being numb. It was for the better. He was too weak to control his quirk with feelings in the equation. Todoroki tugged slightly on his red strands of hair, punishing himself for letting his emotions push him this far. He angled his head towards his plate and clenched his jaw. He needed to stop before someone got hurt. Maybe if he removed himself from the room? No, then everyone would see how not fine he was. But that's selfish of him. What kind of hero puts others' safety in jeopardy for their own personal benefit? He really was horrible. That was the one thing his father seemed to have gotten right. Maybe that was the worst part. He wanted to be pissed, he wanted to be outraged at his father, but he couldn't. At least not completely. His father was right about most things. The man may be a douche, but he was a smart douche.

"Um, Todoroki?"

He shifted his eyes to the right to look at Midoriya. The green haired boy was eyeing the faint steam radiating off of Todoroki's left side. "You're steaming." He stated simply and quietly, obviously trying to keep the attention off of his friend. A gesture Todoroki greatly appreciated.

"I know." It was clear that a few of his other classmates noticed as well. Yaoyorozu kept shooting him glances while also trying to keep up with Jiro's passionate rant about a new band she discovered. Kirishima did a double take after catching sight of Todoroki in the corner of his eye. Tokoyami, who always minded his own business, was observing him with a quizzical expression.

Midoriya fidgeted a bit, noticing the others' stares. "Are you ok? Want some air?"

Todoroki's eyes shot around the room like a trapped animal's. He really did need to get out of here, just incase he did blow. The last thing Iida needed was his face being melted off. He returned his eyes to Midoriya and gave a slight nod.

"Go ahead. I'll cover for you."

Todoroki bowed his head in a silent thank you before rising out of his chair and into the kitchen to wash his dish. He felt every eye in the room turn and stare at his back as he made his escape. He tired to walk at a relatively normal pace, but anxiety pumped his legs faster than intended. He gripped his plate with a white knuckled grip. While his anger had decreased, it was replaced with nerves which didn't do much for his steaming skin. His hands were shaking again. This had to stop now. He couldn't lose his cool. Especially not around people. He wouldn't become his father. He wouldn't hurt anyone. Not on purpose and not by accident. Both were unacceptable. Both of the were weak.

He scraped the extra food into the trash can and rinsed the plate under warm water before stashing it in the dishwasher. It was only then he realized how stupid his decision was. He'd have to cross back through the dining room to be able to make a break for his dorm. Putting his hands on the counter he bowed his head and took a few deep breaths. He could do this. He just had to keep his head down and move quickly. Just pretend he didn't hear the whispers that would trail after him. Ignore the concerned stares. Block out any attempts at conversation. Be cold. Be cutting. Be numb. He stood to his full height and took a step towards the doorway, only to have his exit blocked.

"What's your problem now, Icyhot?" Bakugo leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. While his body language read nonchalant, his words screamed concerned.

There was no point trying to hide from the explosive teen. He had already seen Todoroki at his lowest. It's not like he could get away with lying to Bakugo. The kid was stubborn. A little too stubborn. He wouldn't stop until he got an acceptable answer. Todoroki didn't have to give him the whole truth though. A happy medium should do just fine.

"I don't know." It wasn't false. Todoroki had no idea why he was feeling the way he was today. No other Wednesday had been this bad.

Bakugo walked further into the kitchen and leaned against the counter across from Todoroki. He stared directly into Todoroki's eyes, making it clear he wasn't going to stand down anytime soon. "Bullshit. You know."

"What does it matter to you?"

Bakugo just continued to stare at his classmate.

That was Todoroki's cue to leave. He tried to walk around Bakugo, but the other boy stepped in front of him, successfully blocking his only route out. Todoroki stepped to the side, only for Bakugo to mirror the movement. This was childish, Todoroki decided. He tried again, stepping to the other side now. Bakugo stepped to the side again, landing directly in front of Todoroki.

"Shitty hair's right. You need to drop this whole too 'I'm too strong for help' bull. It's getting real old real quick."

"I can't believe I'm hearing that from you of all people."

Bakugo's eye twitched. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He was getting defensive. "This is about you, not me! I'm not the one who was moping around all day! I'm not the one who almost lit the fucking table on fire!"

"Let it go."

"Not until I get answers. We want to help, dumbass. You know what that is, right? Help?"

"I said let. It. Go. Now." Todoroki said in a low voice. His anxiety was picking up.

"Not a fat chance." Bakugo shot back, veins popping out of his neck.

Todoroki brushed past him, making a desperate attempt to remove himself from the kitchen. He needed to get out. He needed air, just as much as Bakugo needed answers.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bakugo grabbed the bicolored boy's shoulder.

Todoroki's stomach filled with lead fear. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" He wrenched his body from Bakugo's grasp, assuming a fighting stance, ready to shoot ice at his opponent.

It was the first time Todoroki had seen Bakugo with a hint of alarm in his eyes. He immediately backed off, holding his hands up in surrender. Todoroki dropped his stance, and stared at his hands, then to the doorway where his classmates had gathered. They stared back with a mixture of confusion and worry spread across their faces.

Todoroki had to get out of here. He turned on his heel and sped walked towards the doorframe, his classmates parting like the red sea, with, if Todoroki wasn't mistaken, a faint look of terror on their faces. He was turning into his father.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I have no idea where this story is going at all. While I should be thinking of the plot for this story, I've instead been playing with the idea of making this a series. Writing about some of Todoroki's other bad luck Wednesdays. Of course they wouldn't be as long or as angsty as this one, but more like fluff and a bit of small bumps and bruises. I don't know if that's something you guys would like to see though. I would love to hear all your thoughts!


	7. Chapter 7

Todoroki was glad none of his classmates tried to follow him. It was too dangerous. He was unhinged. The steam was thicker and more visible now and frost was inching from his right hand which was placed on his door. He closed his eyes, feeling them sting with tears. After resting his forehead against the smooth wood, he turned to his room. Running his fingers through his hair, he began to pace. He had to get rid of the excess adrenaline coursing through his body due to his spiked anxiety levels. Ice stemmed from his right foot as he took each step. It wouldn't be long before he began to melt his left shoe. Making an executive decision, he kicked off his shoes and socks and stripped off his training jacket but opted to keep his white undershirt on. It was a cheap thing to replace if he really began losing control. Todoroki felt burning hot, yet completely frozen at the same time. Not a good sign at all. He needed to reign his emotions in right now. If he didn't a lot of people would get hurt. He shook his hands out and took a deep breath. It was too shallow and shaky for his liking. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Breath. It's simple. He's been doing it since birth. In and out. Come on. His lungs were only getting more constricted. Why couldn't he so something so simple? Was he really that pathetic?

He couldn't pace anymore. His legs gave out. Todoroki didn't even hear the crack of his knees hitting the hard wooden floor. He leaned over, placing his hands on the cool ground. He heaved, trying to fill his lungs with oxygen. He suddenly coughed as his nose was bombarded with the smell of smoke. Shit. Smoke. Todoroki scrambled off the floor, clutching his left hand to his chest. He stumbled back from the handprint and into the corner of his room. He needed to get his quirk to stop. How could he get it to stop? Aizawa. He needed his homeroom teacher. Todoroki scrambled to his bedside table to grab his charging phone, having never been so grateful for his teacher forcing everyone to add him as a contact before the summer training camp. He held his phone in his right hand, not wanting to melt the screen. He pressed on the contact and prayed for his teacher to answer.

It rung once

Twice

A thir-

"Hello" the teacher deadpanned.

He answered. Why didn't he feel any better? Todoroki opened his mouth, and then closed it again. What could he even say? 'Hi Sensei, I need you to come to my dorm and erase my quirk because I'm a danger to the school purely due to the fact that I'm too immature to control my emotions'. The only thing he could do was breathe heavily into the phone.

"Todoroki? Are you ok?"

A few beats of silence. "No"

"Where are you?" His teacher sounded like he was already on the move.

"In my room."

"I'm on my way. Do you want to stay on the line with me?"

Todoroki pondered the decision for a minute, before realizing that his phone was already covered in a thin layer of ice. "No."

"Alright. I'll be there in a minute. Just hold on." After a hum of understanding from Todoroki's end, he hung up. Todoroki put his phone back on the nightstand. Aizawa's last words to him echoed in his head, almost as if it were a mantra. Just hold on. Just hold on. He put his hands back in his hair, right above his ears, giving it a quick tug. Just hold on. Don't let it get any worse. It doesn't have to get better, but he absolutely can't let it get any more out of hand. Just hold on.

It wasn't long before Todoroki was started by a soft knock on his door.

"Todoroki? You in there?"

The student couldn't bring himself to walk over to the door and open it, instead settling for a grunt of confirmation.

"I'm coming in." The door cracked open just enough for the teacher to get through before it was swiftly closed. "What's wro- oh shit." Aizawa stated upon seeing both the state of his student and his room. He rushed over to Todoroki, his hands hovering over his trembling frame before deciding that physical touch maybe wasn't the best route to take at the moment. He noted the smoke wafting off the boy and the thin sheet of ice covering parts of the floor.

"E-erase it. Please." Todoroki shuddered.

At first it seemed that Aizawa didn't understand Todoroki's request, as his dark eyebrows furrowed for a second before his eyes lit with realization. He focused on Todoroki and erased his quirk. The smoke instantly stopped, it quickly dissipated into the air while his right side thawed out.

"Todoroki, what's all this about?"

Aizawa had to hastily catch his student before his knees hit the floor. He gently escorted him the rest of the way to the ground, kneeling in front of him.

"What do you need?"

Todoroki curled away from his teacher, and Aizawa let him. He backed away from the student who looked like he was having trouble catching his breath.

"I don't know." Todoroki sobbed. "I-I just keep, I just keep on panicking. I can't get it to stop." He pushed the heels of his hands on his eyes, scrubbing the tears into his skin.

Cautiously Aizawa inched closer to him, observing him for any negative reaction. This had to end soon. His eyes burned with the desire to blink. He was now only about a step from his student. The teachers gut turned at the sight of one of his most stoic pupils quivering on the floor, seemingly overwhelmed by feelings he refused to let anyone see. His first instinct was to rub the kid's back, but something told him that it wasn't to be done without consent.

"Todoroki, can I touch you?"

The teenager spared his teacher a glance before hesitantly nodding in conformation. Aizawa gave no response besides putting a soft, careful hand on his back and rubbing in soothing circles. "I know it's hard, but can you try to breathe with me? You can put your hand on my chest if it will help you. Just copy me the best you can, ok?"

Todoroki nodded and tried to match his supervisor's rhythm of breath on his own, before reluctantly placing a shaking hand on the homeroom teacher's heart. Aizawa put one of his hands on top of the smaller one resting against his chest. His eyes were tearing both due to sadness and eye dryness, although Aizawa would never admit the first reason outright. Eventually Todoroki's breathing became more regulated, and he was able to take his hand off Aizawa's heart and sit back, his eyes trained on the floor, clearly embarrassed about the whole fiasco.

"I'm going to blink now. Is that ok?"

The dual colored haired boy gave a nervous nod, bracing himself.

"It's going to be ok. Just stay as relaxed as you can. If we need to, I can erase your quirk again." Just as Aizawa was about to grace his eyes with the moisture they desperately needed, Todoroki scooted away from his teacher. He gave the kid a confused look.

"Just in case. I don't want to hurt you."

Aizawa nodded and closed his eyes.

There was nothing.

Todoroki visibly relaxed, leaning against the wall of his room and closing his eyes. The kid looked utterly exhausted. Aizawa had never seen him look so horrible, which was saying a fair bit due to what went down this morning. Not wanting to disturb Todoroki, he slowly scooted across and sat criss-cross applesauce on the wooden floor. It seemed that his student didn't realize that Aizawa was currently sitting in front of him. He'd let the kid destress a bit before speaking with him.

Whatever this was, it was rather concerning. Aizawa had seen a fair share of mental breakdowns. Hell, he'd been through a few himself, but whatever Todoroki was going through wasn't a run of the mill breakdown. No. This kid, this fifteen year old boy, had to be deeply traumatized. Nothing about this was normal. Nothing about this was remotely ok. He had to get to the bottom of it. He needed to help this child in front of him. Todoroki was strong. Probably one of the strongest students Aizawa had the pleasure of teaching in a long time, but there were just somethings that you couldn't face on your own.

Aizawa looked at Todoroki's face. His stomach filled with lead. The kid was pale. Todoroki wasn't the tannest kid on a good day, but right now the fifteen year old was whiter than a sheet, with the exception of the large bags hanging under his closed eyes. His eyelids were bloated and an angry red, no doubt from crying. He had tear streaks running down his cheeks to prove it. The last time Aizawa had seen Todoroki's body this relaxed was when he was knocked unconscious during the sports festival. Was the kid even awake? The teacher glanced to his phone clock. 7:23 PM. It was time to talk.

"Todoroki?" He deadpanned softly. "Are you awake?"

His student groaned and opened his eyes halfway. He pressed the heel of his hands on his eyebrows and scrubbed. "Yes."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Tired."

It seemed that Todoroki wasn't in the mood for a conversation, but then again, was he ever? On a normal day Aizawa would let the kid talk when he was ready. But this was no normal Wednesday. It was far from it.

"What happened?"

Todoroki shifted a bit, picking at his fingers. Something the teacher had never seen him do before. "I lost control." He admitted, bowing his head in shame. A curtain of hair fell in his eyes, but Aizawa was certain they had developing tears in them. "I'm sorry. I tried to regain control but I-I just couldn't" His voice cracked.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just wondering where all this came from. You're the most disciplined, reserved student's in my class. All this is very out of the ordinary for you."

"I don't know how it got this bad." He curled up in a ball, his knees drawn up to his chin. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause this much trouble. I understand that I need to be punished for being so weak. I'll do anything, just please don't throw me out of the school."

Aizawa was dumbfounded. "Punishm- Todoroki, what are you implying here?"

Todoroki lifted his head and rested his chin on his knees. He looked miserable. "I displayed less than standard behavior. That warrants a punishment."

"Who told you that?"

"M-my father." The student's eyes widened in fear. His spine went stiff as he hugged his legs tighter, his nails digging into his flesh. "That's normal though. A lot of parents do that."

Aizawa couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt sick. "What kind of punishments does he make you do?"

"Uh," Todoroki was taken off guard. His punishments seemed intense, but maybe they weren't. He was probably just overreacting, just as he always did. His teacher would probably laugh in his face once he heard how mild his 'punishments' were. Every parent did what his dad did. Sure the training was extreme and treating his mother and siblings the way he did could be viewed as abusive (maybe, Todoroki wasn't sure anymore), but his father said that everyone went through what Todoroki did in regard to his punishments.

"Uh, sometimes he'd lock me in the closet for a few days. Maybe hold food from me for a little bit. It depends on what I did wrong."

He looked at his teacher, trying to decipher his facial expression. He wasn't laughing, but this was Aizawa. Todoroki couldn't recall ever seeing him laugh before. His teacher seemed…tense, maybe? Aizawa was hard to crack.

"That is not normal." Aizawa said in almost a daze. "How long has he been doing stuff like this?"

Todoroki was panicking. He definitely said something wrong. Very wrong. It was too late to take it back. That's why he wasn't allowed to open his stupid mouth. Bad things happened. The only thing Todoroki could do right was mess everything up. He threaded his fingers in this hair. "I don't want to talk anymore. Please."

Aizawa sighed. "I need to get to the bottom of this. I don't think it's safe for you to be living in that house."

"I'm living here though."

"You know what I mean, Todoroki. Your father sounds abusive and unsafe to live with. You need to get out of that house as soon as possible."

"No, everything's fine. It's normal. I'm just being dramatic."

"Todoroki, you are the least dramatic teenager I know." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me get this straight. Your father punishes by locking you in closets and by taking away your food?"

A few seconds of silence.

"…Yes."

"That alone is enough to present a case. You might as well tell me the whole truth." His student shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I want to help you."

"I don't need help."

"Todoroki your home life isn't-"

"It's fine. My homelife is fine and none of your business." He got up and walked around Aizawa towards the door. "I'm fine now and I would really like to get to bed."

His teacher reflected his actions. "Todoroki, please. We can help you here."

"I don't need help. I don't need anything. Everything is fine."

"Obviously it isn't. Your father is abusing you."

Todoroki whirled on his heel to face his teacher. "Stop trying to slander my father's name."

"It's not slander if it's true."

"It's not true, ok! I lied. I wanted attention. I'm tired of it now so you need to leave!" Todoroki was getting desperate. The pro hero could see it in his eyes. His movements were becoming more frantic and there was a slight tremor in his stance. Usually Aizawa wouldn't tolerate a disrespectful student, but Todoroki was using it as a shield. Deflecting questions with rudeness to discourage the teacher from getting more information.

Aizawa sighed again. "Look, you can't hide from this." He took a gamble and inched closer to the student. Todoroki was too deep in thought to notice. "It's ok to need help. What you're going through is horrible. It isn't right, and you know it. In order for me to help you, I need you to talk to me." He took a few steps towards Todoroki. He was in arm's length of his student now.

"Nothing's wrong." It was almost a whisper.

"I see the way you flinch when someone raises a hand or when someone gets too close. How you stiffen at the mention of your father's name. You avoid talking about your personal life. The signs are there. I'm mad that I didn't realize it sooner."

Todoroki deflated. He removed his hand from the doorknob and let it drop to his side. "I didn't want anyone to know. I thought that some of it was normal. I always knew he was a bad guy, but I thought that some of the things he did were helping me."

"Why don't we sit down and have a chat?"

The two of them moved over to the futon. They sat next to each other, a comfortable amount of distance between them. Although the kid didn't say anything, Aizawa could tell he wanted a bit of space just in case he lost control again. He respected the unspoken wish. Todoroki propped his elbow on his crossed legs and rested his cheek on his fist. He was definitely less tense than he was a few minutes ago, although it couldn't be determined whether it was from the exhaustion weighing on him or the fact that he knew that Aizawa was right.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

It took Todoroki a while to answer the question. Where should he even start? Maybe at training? Although that was meant to help him, so maybe it wasn't relevant? It was hard to sort through what was normal and what wasn't.

"Maybe we can start off with this: Where did you get your scar from?"

Ah, that question. A classic. Usually Todoroki would just give a simple, vague answer. An accident, he would reply dully, making sure to let no emption seep through his voice. I was burned, noted lazily. Now was different though. It was time for him to tell the truth. Aizawa already knew too much. Hiding from him made no sense anymore. He'd probably get mad if Todoroki lied anyway.

"Did your dad do that?"

"No, my mother." Todoroki ignored the slightly shocked expression of his teacher before continuing. "She said that my left side was unsightly and then poured boiling water on me." He paused to see if Aizawa would interject. He didn't. "It wasn't her fault though. My father didn't treat her well. She doesn't live at home anymore. She's in a hospital now."

The pro hero was phased, but he did his best not to show it. "Thank you for being so honest with me. Is there anything else I should know?"

"I don't know what's normal and what isn't. I don't know what you want to hear."

Aizawa nodded. "I can ask you questions about things I've noticed if that would make it easier for you." Todoroki nodded an affirmative. "I noticed that you flinch a lot. Does your dad hit you?"

"Not too much outside of training."

"Training?"

"My father likes to train me himself. He says that other training facilities are too soft on their students. The only way to guarantee that I was getting ahead was to do it himself."

Dark eyebrows quirked in confusion. "What does he mean by 'too soft'?" There were quite a few training facilities in Japan that were designed to help students receive a basic education about hand-to-hand combat and other useful skills that would give their pupils an edge when applying to schools. Although the training facilities had to run by a strict set of rules and regulations, they were by no means a walk in the park. Soft was not a word Aizawa would use to describe them.

"He said they were too afraid to teach children what they really needed to know. That they taught their students that the world was fair, and that villains would leave them alone if they relented or couldn't get up anymore. He said that the facilities were setting its student's up for disaster by using that philosophy."

"How was your father's training different."

"He puts an emphasis on teaching me the repercussions of failing. He taught me that being weak wasn't an option."

There was a cold creeping sensation moving down Aizawa's spine that had nothing to do with Todoroki's quirk. "How did he teach you that?"

"If I were to fall from exhaustion or pain he wouldn't relent. He'd push me even further. He's fight an one-sided fight until he was too disgusted or ashamed to look at me."

"Holy shit." The teacher was in disbelief. Endeavor was a psychopath. He was insane. A monster. Aizawa was never a huge fan of the fire hero. His gravely and egotistical personality did nothing for him. No one could deny that he was good at what he did though. No one questioned the potentially cruel things he said. He was the number two hero, there was nothing to fear. The public just accepted that he was a good person purely due to the fact that he was a pro hero. He couldn't do anything wrong. Turns out the asshole was living a double life. A hero on the streets, a monster in his house.

"He was trying to help me though. It was for my own good. I wouldn't be where I was today without him." Todoroki replied robotically, almost as if that response was conditioned into him.

"No, he wasn't helping you. He was hurting you. What he's doing isn't ethical."

"It hasn't happened as much since we moved into the dorms. Everything is fine now." It sounded like Todoroki was trying to convince himself rather than the older man sitting to his left.

"That doesn't matter. It happened and it's going to happen again if you don't get out of that house."

Todoroki jerked his head to face his teacher. "You can't take me out of my house." Desperation leaked through his words. "You- if you do that he'll know I said something!"

"Todoroki, be honest with me. Do you want to go back to that house?"

A few beats of silence.

It was so quiet Aizawa almost didn't hear it.

"No."

Silent tears fell down his cheeks. It was a wonder that they still had extra fluid to spare after all of today's events.

"It isn't safe for you to be there. I don't feel comfortable knowing that you go home to that."

"I don't feel comfortable about it either."

"I think we need to present a case in court. I'd really like you on my side for this, but even if you aren't I'm afraid I'll still have to go through with it." Todoroki remained silent. "Look, at the end of the day, every one just wants you to be saf-"

"It's ok. I don't want to do it, but I know I have to."

Aizawa nodded. "I know you must feel conflicted about this whole situation, but I promise that you'll be much safer if you can get out of that house."

"I know." A rather numb reply, which made sense. Emotionally taxing conversations had the tendency to drain energy from people.

"Do you want to go to bed? You look about ready to keel over."

The fifteen year old thought about it for a second. "I'd rather not be alone right now. Are the others in the common area?"

"Last time I checked."

"I'll go down there for a bit I guess. I owe them an explanation."

The two of them left Todoroki's dorm, stepping over the blackened handprint seared into the wooden planks. It cold be fixed later. Maybe a rug would look nice over there? That was always an easy way to fix things. Cover it up. If you couldn't see it, then it wasn't there. Although maybe it wasn't the best way to fix everything.

"I just need to make sure you understand something, Todoroki." His teacher paused in front of the stairwell. "Things could get messy once we take things to court. You father is a very respected man. There may be some back lash. We're dropping some pretty huge allegations on him."

Todoroki nodded. "I know. I'm prepared."

He was going to have to be stronger than he ever was. It was going to be hard, but with his classmates hopefully having his back and with Aizawa in his corner, he felt he could do it. It was time to free himself.


	8. Chapter 8

The walk to the common area felt all too short for Todoroki's personal likings. He regretted his decision to leave his room without his training jacket. He felt all too exposed. Once he told his classmates about his life, they would no doubt be able to match the scars littering his arms to the events in his past. It made it more real. More in your face. Todoroki wasn't a fan of that, but he was already at the bottom of the steps and was far too exhausted to walk back up to his room. Besides, it's not like his scars were a secret. He was sure the other boys had seen them when they changed in the locker rooms. They peeked out when he wore short sleeves. He made no effort to hide them. He was used to them being seen. This time felt different though. The story of the scars would be out. It added weight to them. Made them ugly. Instead of making him look rugged and mysterious, they would make him look like a kicked puppy. They'd be pity invoking. Make no mistake. Pity was not Todoroki's friend. He'd rather die than have someone act as if he were some fragile china dish, treading carefully around him as if any sudden movement would shatter him. Todoroki knew he was on the weak side, but he was nowhere near that puny. Or maybe he was? Who's to say? Of course, he knew the answer to that. Everyone could see how much of a disappointment he was. Especially now.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder blade. "You don't have to do this tonight. There's always tomorrow." It was reassuring to know that he could postpone the soon to come drama, but he really shouldn't. Those thoughts couldn't be entertained any further, or he might actually withdraw.

Todoroki stayed silent, determined to complete the task at hand. Best to pull the band-aid off now. Taking his silence as his answer, Aizawa continued. "Alright. Don't tire yourself out too much. You still have class in the morning. I expect you to see you tomorrow in working condition, got that?"

Ah, there was the hard-ass class 1-A knew and loved. Todoroki felt himself nodding. Aizawa opened the door and stepped through, throwing a discrete glance back at his student, who still had his feet rooted to the ground. The pro hero raised a dark eyebrow as he gestured for Todoroki to step into the room. "If you're going to do this tonight, might as well get it over with."

With a short breath, Todoroki stepped into the common area. He yanked on his fingers as he walked further into the room. He could hear the TV playing and the chatter of a few familiar voices. The dining table was cleaned and the floor looked like it had been swept recently. Nighttime chores must've been done already. Todoroki would have to thank whoever picked up his slack. Maybe repay them for his incompetence when the opportunity arose.

"Good night, Todoroki. Call me if you need anything."

Todoroki watched his teacher leave, while a few students bid him a good night. Following the voices, he walked over to the TV and sitting area, making sure to stay as quiet and as close to the wall as he possibly could. He dully noted that his feet were completely bare. He must've left his slippers in his room along with his jacket. The fifteen-year-old continued to tug on his fingers, hoping to expel some of his nerves though the repetitive movement. It wasn't working. Maybe people watching could help. It would be something to take his mind off of himself.

It was apparent that no one noticed him yet, as the lights were dimmed and the various students were either staring at the program that was playing on the television, scrolling through their phones, or reading. Todoroki was honestly surprised to see that everyone was present. Usually, Tokoyami, Bakugo, Sato, and Koda would retire to their rooms after eating dinner. Maybe they were waiting for something? Todoroki had no idea. It didn't matter much anyway. It was better that he caught the whole group at once. Explaining his situation multiple times would be tiring. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the group of girls hanging out on the side of the room. Hagakure was braiding Yaoyorozu's dark locks into an intricate hairdo, while Mina thumbed through, what Todoroki could only presume was, another fashion magazine. Jiro sat next to Yaoyorozu, listening to music and sharing an earbud with Uraraka. Tsuyu sat at Jiro's feet, leaning her back against the loveseat as she watched the TV through half-lidded eyes. Not too far away from the girls was Mineta. Todoroki couldn't help but roll his eyes. The kid was practically undressing each girl with his eyes, you know, the usual. Deciding he couldn't stand the sight anymore, he continued onto the next cluster. On the next couch over sat Kirishima, with his legs where his head should've been, viewing the show upside down as he described how all the blood was rushing to his head. Right next to him, doing the same thing, was none other than Kaminari. The only reason Todoroki could tell who the two of them were was due to their voices echoing off the walls. Laughing at them was Sero, who was leaned against the arm of the chair. On the next chair over sat Aoyama, who was shamelessly taking selfies of himself, occasionally flashing peace signs and finger hearts with his perfectly manicured fingers. Todoroki couldn't repress his soft scoff. The kid seemed entirely too obsessed with himself, but then again, Todoroki would give anything to love himself half as much as the twinkling boy did. On the floor in front of Aoyama was Ojiro, only visible by the top of his head and the tip of his tail which was resting over the arm of the chair that was behind him. Todoroki couldn't see what he was doing, but if he had to guess, he was probably on his phone keeping up with different martial artists on social media. Sitting near the coffee table located in front of the TV was Koda, his pet bunny sitting on the wooden surface. The rabbit looked rather sleepy as it was fed little bits of carrot. Next to Koda was Shoji who was observing the bunny being fed, with almost a fond twinkle in his eyes. On the couch behind the two males on the floor were Iida and Midoriya, both with notebooks sitting on their laps. Perhaps they were studying? Todoroki moved his attention towards the far corner of the room towards a small table set. Leaning dangerously back in his chair was Bakugo, scrolling through his phone lazily. It was clear that his mind was somewhere else. The phone was just to keep appearances. Across from him sat Tokoyami, who was reading a book. Todoroki didn't have a clue what it was, as the book covers were lying flat against the table. To be honest, he didn't really care that much. He wasn't a big reader, so he probably wouldn't even know anything about it. Sato sat next to Tokoyami, eating some sort of pastry. Again Todoroki had no idea what it was. He wasn't well versed in the world of junk food and sweets.

Todoroki shifted slightly, trying to keep his knees from locking up. Apparently, the movement was enough to alert Bakugo. He looked up from the screen in front of him and gave Todoroki an up and down scan with his eyes. Returning all chair legs to the ground, he switched his phone to sleep mode. Of course, the change in position cause Tokoyami to look up from his book. First towards Bakugo, then to Todoroki. The bird boy's eyes widened in surprise before they returned to normal.

"Oi, half and half bastard, what the hell are you doing, standing in the dark like that." The rest of the class turned towards Todoroki. "You look shady as fuck."

"Hey, Todoroki!" Kirishima called, having righted himself on the couch when Bakugo began speaking. "Come and join the fun!" He gave the couch cushion next to him a few slaps, as he flashed a toothy grin at the boy in question. The rest of the class, except for one explosive blonde, nodded in approval. It was clear they were approaching the situation with caution. Could Todoroki really blame them though? It felt like he, himself, was also stepping on eggshells.

With a soft sigh, Todoroki pushed himself off the wall and over to the couch. Only when he was seated next to Kirishima did he realize how tense he was. He could feel all thirty-eight eyes on him, questioning what he was doing. Observing him. Dissecting him. He felt more exposed than ever. He crossed his bare arms and hunched in on himself slightly. A smaller target had a better chance of survival. He hoped he didn't appear as uncomfortable as he felt. He let his eyes roam the room, not quite making eye contact with anyone. It was silent except for the drone of commercials about cleaning products that no one wanted or asked for.

"Glad to see you out and about, right guys?' Kirishima again. It was clear that he was trying to make the situation less strained. He was trying to get the class involved.

Kaminari was the next one to speak up. "Psh, yeah!" He said hastily. "We all thought you went to bed already."

A few classmates nodded in silent agreement. Todoroki could see that they were too afraid to speak. Too afraid to scare him. As if he were some wild animal they were trying to keep from going feral. He hated it.

"Ah, no. I'm awake." Todoroki's words were quiet and hesitant. It was so silent; you could undoubtedly hear a pin drop in the next room over. Todoroki always had an uncanny knack for ending conversations with a single sentence. Deciding that this was the time to begin, he sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved today. It wasn't very mature of me to carry on in such a manner and I'm sorry you all had to see me like that." A few classmates opened their mouths to interject, but Todoroki continued before they could get their two cents in. He couldn't stop now. If he did, he wouldn't say anything at all. "I'd like to explain myself, if that's ok with you all."

"Of course it's ok Todoroki. We're all here for you." Midoriya sat up straighter in his chair. The poor kid thought Todoroki was going to tell him what he had learned back at the sports festival. He had no idea what he was getting into.

There were a few murmurs of agreement before a hush fell upon the students. Todoroki fiddled with his fingers, again, taking a deep breath. It was now or never. "Sometimes I-I um, I don't know how to start." He trailed off. Crap he was already screwing it up. He couldn't do anything right. He scrubbed the right side of his face with a slightly tremoring hand. There was too much. Again, this was a bad idea. Why was he being extra dimwitted today?

"It's ok. Take your time." He looked over to Yaoyorozu, who met his gaze with wet eyes. "We'll wait."

Todoroki nodded. He felt his chest expand as his lungs took in yet another deep gulp of air. "I, well, I guess I can start with what was happening this morning?" He paused to allow for objections, but the class remained listening to every word he put down. "Sometimes I drift. I'm not really sure what to call it. It's like my mind completely shuts off while my body is still present and reactive to the environment." He wasn't making any sense. Great. "Um, I, it's hard for me to describe."

"Is that why you looked so checked out in the bathroom this morning." Todoroki turned his attention to Sero, who sat on the edge of his seat.

Todoroki nodded. "Yes, it was happening all morning. It's rather annoying, but it usually isn't too big of a problem. Today was just…off." Sero nodded before scooting back slightly on the couch. Todoroki took this as his queue to continue. "Although sometimes when I, uh, drift, my mind wanders to memories, and that's where the real issue begins."

"Are they bad memories?" That was Uraraka.

"Yes. A lot of my memories are bad ones." Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, Todoroki decided to elaborate. "My family life was set up for disaster. Do you guys know what a quirk marriage is?" The rest of the class nodded. It was clear that no one liked where this conversation was heading. "Well my father, Endeavor, forced my mother into a marriage for the sole purpose of creating an offspring that could someday rival All Might. He didn't get what he wanted at first. All of my siblings were failures. He finally got what he wanted when I was born. As soon as my quirk manifested, he began training me ruthlessly." Todoroki could see the horrified expressions of his classmates. He wanted to stop. He thought he could do this, but he couldn't. It was too much. Far too much. He felt his body begin to quiver.

"Dude, you can stop if you need to." Kirishima must've felt him vibrating. "This is some heavy crap to unload all at once."

Todoroki shook his head, his knee bouncing. "It's, I-I'm fine. I can continue." The class nodded and Todoroki resumed. "As I grew older, the training became more and more intense." A deep breath. He couldn't believe what he was saying. "At some points, i-it'd get so bad that I couldn't move anymore. That would, that would only make him angrier. Sometimes, if I were being extra difficult, he'd lock me in a closet for a few hours or deny me my food rations. Um- "His throat cut off his voice, as if Endeavor knew what he was saying and sent his hand to choke the life out of his son.

Bakugo got up from his wooden chair and walked over to the couch Midoriya and Iida were sitting on. He leaned on the back of the seat, silent rage radiating off of him in devastating waves. "So what you're saying is that your dad beats you senseless and if you don't sit there and take it like a good little boy, he takes away your food and locks you in a closet?" The blonde-haired teenager ignored a 'real sensitive, Bakugo' remark that was shot his way and took Todoroki's stare as an affirmative. "What a fucking ass wipe." He pushed off the couch and began pacing. "I bet he's the one who told you that you were weak for having feelings. Am I right?" Bakugo was clearly angry. Todoroki decided it was a different kind of angry that he usually displayed. If he were in a calm state of mind, Todoroki may have been able to pinpoint the emotion, but he was more focused on breathing at the moment.

Suddenly Bakugo froze. His voice was softer, as something had just dawned on him. "That's why you freaked out when I grabbed you in the kitchen. You thought I was him. Didn't you?"

Seconds ticked by in silence.

"…Yes."

Bakugo's posture slumped as guilt spread across his face as if it were food dye in water. He resumed his pacing, before stopping suddenly. "Shit. Todoroki I-"he broke off his sentence with a few more exasperated curses before sitting back down in his chair. He rested his elbows on the table and gripped his temples in his hands.

Silence hung thick in the air. Todoroki wasn't sure what else to say. He had gotten a lot of what he wanted to say out of the way. The only thing left was to process what had actually happened. He glanced around the room, observing each of his classmates' faces. Not a single one looked ok. A few of them looked ready to hurl what they had just ingested, while others looked dazed, unsure if what they just heard was real. Way to ruin what used to be a calm and relaxing night with your stupid baggage, Todoroki cursed himself. He was always dragging people down with him. He buried his eyes in his hands. His elbows dug into his knees uncomfortably, but Todoroki didn't remove them. He deserved the pain. He needed to be punished.

Out of nowhere the weight of what he had just done hit him like a sack of bricks. He wheezed out a choked breath as his lungs constricted. If Endeavor found out what he had just said, what he had just done, Todoroki didn't even want to think about the consequences. He honestly wondered if he would survive such an encounter. His heart stopped, panic gripping his stomach. He felt hot and cold, but thankfully his quirk wasn't acting up again. He couldn't breathe. What had he done? Dug his own grave, that's what he just did. He felt nauseous. He was so dead. There was nothing that could save him now. His gut twisted even further when another thought fell upon his consciousness. What if he had put his friends in harm's way by telling them. Oh no. No, no, no, nonononono. Todoroki felt his hands grip at his hair and give it small tugs. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. What the hell had he been thinking? He was acting as if he only had two brain cells. That was the kind of behavior that got people killed.

"Woah, woah, Todoroki. Chill out a bit, ok?" Kirishima kneeled in front of him, not touching him but close enough that if he shifted a bit forward, Kirishima's knees would rest against Todoroki's shins. "Talk to me, buddy, what's wrong?"

"I-I shouldn't have said any of that. If-if Endeavor finds out-"

"Everything will be fine."

"You don't understand!" Todoroki was well aware of how desperate his voice sounded. He needed to get the others to listen. He needed to protect them. "You have no idea what he's capable of. He'll do, he's a monster, he's, he'll hurt us all." His tongue fumbled over words, not seemingly able to string together a coherent sentence. "I-I shouldn't have said anythi- God I'm so fucking stupid! I never learn!"

"Shhhh, he doesn't have to know. We'll all keep it a secret, right guys?"

Todoroki vaguely processed the murmur of affirmatives that spewed out of his classmate's throats.

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as his whole body shuttered. "You don't underst- You don't, we can't keep it a secret. Aizawa knows. He knows and he, and he's gonna get him in trouble. He'll know I said something." Todoroki's mind paused, mid storm, a horrifying thought dawning on him. "I have to go home this weekend. I-I told him that I'd be home this weekend." Todoroki felt his face lose color. His heart stuttered. How could he have forgotten about his plans with his father? There's no way that he could pretend he didn't just sell his father out. He'd find out. To be fair, he'd find out either way. With Todoroki there or not. Todoroki would be in his range when he realized it though. He was dead.

"No way in hell you're going back there." Bakugo's roar bombarded Todoroki's ears. His harsh tone sent shivers down his spine. It was all too familiar. Bakugo wasn't his father though.

"Bakugo calm do-"

"Shut your damn mouth, Racoon eyes. There's no way I'm letting that shit bag lay another finger on him." Todoroki heard the wooden chair scrape on the floor before a sudden bang rang out through the room as the seat fell backward from the force of Bakugo standing, causing Todoroki to jump violently. "I'm going to Aizawa."

Bakugo made his way over to the door. That wasn't good. Todoroki willed his muscles to move. He darted in front of the raging teen. "You can't do that! If I don't go home, he'll know something is up. He'll know I spoke." He felt his knees give out as he sunk to the ground, shuttering. "Please." Quieter than anything was uttered all day. It had more power than anything that was said all day.

The blonde stopped in his tracks. He clenched his fists and bit back a growl as he retreated to the stairwell, slamming the door open.

The slightest bit of relief crashed over Todoroki. One threat out of the way, many more to go. He felt himself relax as a hesitant embrace wrapped around him. It was Yaoyorozu. Todoroki's muscles relaxed as she held him, soft tears cascading down her face and into Todoroki's hair. Todoroki wasn't sure how long it took him to finally get his bearings. He figured it probably was a good chunk of time. He was getting more and more dramatic as the hours ticked by. It was rather upsetting.

The only bright side Todoroki could see was the fact that this Wednesday was almost over. Just a few more hours, and then he could have a break until this weekend. He wriggled a bit in Yaoyorozu's grasp, causing her to let go and give him some space. He hated how he instantly missed the physical contact. No time to dwell on that though. Todoroki rose to his feet, only wobbling slightly. His eyes burned from the sheer amount of crying he had done in the last few hours.

"Dude, you should head to bed. You look beat." Kaminari cringed immediately after saying his bit.

"C'mon, man!" Sero scolded his friend.

"I didn't mean it like that! Sorry Todoroki!"

The fifteen-year-old couldn't help but to smirk at the slip up. He felt slightly lighter than before as he made his way over to the stairwell. Before he pushed the door open, he turned around. "Thank you, for everything."


	9. Chapter 9

Todoroki half regretted taking the steps back to his room. His thighs screamed at the exertion and his head pounded, most likely due to dehydration. His bi-colored eyes burned and watered from crying too much. He didn't feel like walking at the moment. Or thinking. There wasn't much he actually had the energy to do right now. The only thing he really wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Sleep forever. Well, no. That was a little too dramatic. It wasn't very becoming of a young man to carry on in such a melodramatic manner. So instead he decided he wanted to sleep for a long time. Maybe a few days. That would be the nicest agreement he could come to at the moment.

He exited the stairwell, pausing right outside the door to let his muscles breathe for a second before he continued down the hall towards his room. Although sleep sounded marvelous right about now, the fifteen-year-old knew he wasn't getting any tonight. His thoughts were bouncing around his brain like a hyperactive pinball ricocheting off the flashy bells and whistles behind the glass. Too fast. There was far too much to think about, and quite frankly, it made Todoroki want to rip his hair out. He had royally screwed up today. He let out way too much to too many people. It still didn't feel quite real. He had always imagined telling someone. That smug feeling he'd feel after spilling his father's deepest, darkest secrets, although there were two huge miscalculations in his fantasy. One was the fact that it didn't feel smug damning his father to a future tangled up in the authorities. It felt horrible. Scary. Exposing. All his cards were out on the table. Clear for anyone to see, and boy did his classmates sure take a look. Anxiety squeezed his heart. If this is what smugness felt like, Todoroki prayed he'd never be in a situation that allowed him to flash a shit-eating grin at the person he just bested. The second error was that he had never pondered what would happen after he told someone about his family life. Of course this was because he had never actually intended on telling anyone the truth, but still, Todoroki had hoped he would've been smart enough to think his actions through. Apparently he wasn't. In a perfect world, he'd be able to tell the truth to anyone he wanted, just so they'd know. And that would be that. They'd leave it alone and act like he never told them anything. No drama, no tears, no pity. But he didn't live in a perfect world. If he did, he wouldn't have a scar over his left eye. He wouldn't flinch whenever someone patted his back unexpectedly. He would still have all his family under one roof. If Todoroki lived in a perfect world, he'd never be in the position to hide years upon years of abuse dealt by his father's hands.

Todoroki closed the door to his room softly, not wanting to remind anyone that he existed. Everyone, with the exception of Bakugo, was still downstairs in the common room, so the volume of shutting the door didn't matter too much, but it was a habit he'd grown accustomed to. No sense in breaking it now. It's not like it hurt anyone.

He walked over to his futon, cringing as he stepped over his handprint charred into the wooden floor. He'd have to fix that soon. Not tonight though. Maybe not tomorrow. He'd do it over the weekend, but he had predetermined plans. The plans he oh-so conveniently forgot about until tonight. He plopped onto the plush surface facedown. His nose scrunched flat but he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. It was hard to breathe with his face smushed in the pillows. Maybe he'd just stay like that. Maybe he'd pass in his sleep from suffocation. That way he wouldn't have to deal with his problems. He wouldn't have to deal with anything at all.

Disturbed by his own thoughts, he rolled over onto his back. Dying wasn't the answer. It was the easy way out. It would be lazy of him to not fix his problems. He would be a coward if he died instead of facing the obstacles in front of him. He crossed his left ankle over his right, noting that he was still clad in his training uniform pants. He really should change. Todoroki turned his head towards his drawers. It was too far. He didn't feel like walking, so in the training uniform pants he'd stay. Besides wearing the wrong clothes to bed was the least of his problems at the moment. He was going to have to go home in a mere two days. Facing his father after what he had just done wouldn't be easy. Nothing concerning his father ever was.

His father would find out. Sooner than later, that was for sure. He almost hoped that the flame hero would miraculously discover the betrayal tonight. That way Todoroki would be out of range for an attack and he most likely wouldn't have to go home for the weekend. It would make sense for him to stay in the safety of the dorms, surrounded by people who actually gave a damn about his well-being.

Todoroki bolted upright. Fuyumi. Fuyumi, who definitely cared about his well-being was still in that house. The same house Endeavor was in. She was in range. If his father found out, his older sister was in danger. Shit, shit, shit. Todoroki didn't think this through at all. How could he have forgotten about his older sister? The only sibling that was still present in his life. The only sibling that was still actively in his corner. He really was a poor excuse of a human being. Putting all his needs before anyone else's. How could he even continue training to become a hero with a mentality like that?

That question could be answered later. He had to warn Fuyumi. He shakily slid his phone out of his pocket, using trembling fingers to press on the correct contact.

It rang.

It rang again.

And again.

And again.

With each tone Todoroki's desperation grew tenfold. He gnawed on his bottom lip, not even flinching when he began to taste the metallic tinge of blood. She needed to answer. If she didn't, he'd walk over to the house himself. It wasn't the safest option, but he had to do something to protect his sister. Of course he had no logical reason to believe that his father would find out that Todoroki opened his fat mouth tonight, but just in case he did, he needed to warn Fuyumi.

Once again the tone played.

The answering machine picked up.

He tore the phone away from his ear, ending the call. He'd try again. Surely she just didn't hear her ringtone going off. His shaking finger pressed on the call button again as he held the phone up to his ear. Again it rung, and rung, and rung, and rung until the voicemail picked up. Once again Todoroki yanked the phone away from his ear. Third times a charm, right. Maybe she didn't hear it the first time, and she just missed the final ring the second time he called. She'd probably call him back before he placed this third call. Right? With that philosophy in mind, he slowly pressed on the dial button, praying to whatever god was out there that Fuyumi answered.

It droned.

Again.

And again.

A fourth drone.

Another one.

God really hated him.

The answering machine picked up. He ended the call and shot to his feet, speeding over to his closet. He ripped out whatever jacket made it to his hands first. Now wasn't the time for fashion. With tremoring hands he zipped up the black, lightweight sweatshirt before he charged out of his room. He turned to the stairwell before he slammed into another body.

Both students bounced off each other and landed hard on their rears. Although it hurt a bit, Todoroki had dealt with much, much worse before. He wasn't fazed. He had a mission. He started to get to his feet, not sparing an apology or a glance at the other student sprawled out in front of him.

"What the hell, Icy hot!"

Bakugo. Todoroki couldn't stop now though. His sister's safety was in his hands. He stepped around the angry student, not bothering to give him a response.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" The blonde's question lacked the usual anger he strived for, especially considering the fact that he had just been knocked to the ground and ignored by Todoroki of all people. The only reason he'd be madder was if Todoroki were Midoriya. Thankfully, he was not.

Todoroki's strides didn't stutter. He flung open the stairwell door before bounding down the stairs, each footfall covering three steps. He had no time to waste.

"Don't you dare ignore me!" Todoroki could hear Bakugo chasing him, the angry teen's slightly shorter legs pumping quickly to catch up. Hurling himself off the last few steps, Bakugo caught up and slammed the stairwell exit door closed as Todoroki opened it. "What are you doing?" His voice had lowered in volume to a low growl, not exactly mad, more desperate if Todoroki was judging his tone correctly.

He made the executive decision not to answer Bakugo. The other teen had reacted badly when he learned that Todoroki had to go home over the weekend. If he realized that the red and white haired boy was going home now, he would probably do something drastic. Todoroki couldn't let anyone get in his way. He had to protect his sister. She had done so much for him throughout the years, patching him up after training, hugging him while he cried, encouraging him when he felt down, putting her life on hold to look out for him. He needed to repay her kindness. He wanted to repay her kindness. If she was in danger, danger that Todoroki caused, he needed to remove her from the threat. He could never live with himself if she got hurt due to his impulsive behavior.

Keeping his palm pressed firmly on the door so that Todoroki couldn't pull it open, Bakugo studied the other male's face, his red eyes narrowing suspiciously. Todoroki could feel himself trembling. He had no time to waste. Whatever game Bakugo wanted to play would have to wait. He tried the door again, of course Bakugo only slammed it shut again.

"I don't have time for this. Let go." Todoroki's voice shook, causing him to internally cringe. He didn't sound demanding. He sounded more like a scared child. That's what he was though, so it all added up in the end.

"Where are you going?" Bakugo repeated.

"It's none of your business. Get out of the way."

Bakugo did the exact opposite of what Todoroki wanted him to. He turned his back to lean his entire body on the door, rather than just his hand, making it clear that Todoroki wasn't going anywhere without giving a proper answer.

Again the blonde began studying him, dissecting his features. If he wasn't going to get the truth by talking, he would get it by reading the air. A few minutes passed in silence, both boys refusing to stand down. "You're going home, aren't you?"

Todoroki stayed silent.

He expected Bakugo to laugh at his stupidity, or yell at him for being such an idiot. What he didn't expect was for him to mutter "You're killing me. Why would you go back there?" He shook his head slightly. "Todoroki, why?"

The fifteen-year-old was caught off guard by the use of his name. No nicknames. No poking fun. No angry words. Just unveiled desperation. He looked into Bakugo's eyes, finding them filled with despair, rather than the usual determined fire. The blonde looked deflated.

"I- my sister."

Bakugo's eyebrows quirked a bit. "You have a sister?"

"I have thr- well two siblings. My sister still lives at home."

"Oh shit."

"If my dad finds out about what I said, she's directly in the line of fire. She could get hurt." He felt yet another lump in his throat. He swallowed thickly to try to get rid of it. "I-I tried calling her, but, but she didn't answer. I have to make sure she's ok."

"Woah, ok, ok." Bakugo rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What makes you think she's in immediate danger? Does your dad hit her too?"

"He doesn't hit either of us. He only puts his hands on me during training." Todoroki had no idea why he was defending his father. It's not like he deserved it.

"Yeah yeah, sure, your 'training'" Bakugo flashed air quotations. "So why do you think she's in trouble?"

"My father always finds out about my mistakes. I wanted to make sure he didn't take his anger about what I had done out on Fuyumi."

"First off, you didn't make a mistake telling us what was going on. Your poor excuse of an old man has no right to treat you or anyone else like that. Second, how would he have found out that you said anything?"

Of course there was no logical reason to suspect that his father had found out that Todoroki let the truth out. He knew that Aizawa would be careful about the situation and wouldn't do anything that could put his students in danger. He knew that his classmates had no desire or means of contacting Endeavor to tell him that Todoroki had told the truth. It wasn't like his father was omnipotent and all-knowing, although it sure seemed like that sometimes. Todoroki was judging the situation far too quickly. It could be a fatal mistake. It probably would've been a fatal mistake if he went home tonight, for both him and Fuyumi. He was being unreasonably dramatic and impulsive yet again. He really never learned.

"He wouldn't have. I just got worried."

Bakugo nodded, meaningfully. "If you're so concerned, you should talk to Aizawa about it. He'd be able to help. You should also tell him about the whole going home over the weekend thing."

"I told you I can't tell him that."

"Why not?" A bit of his usual anger returned to his voice.

"If I don't come home he'll know something is off."

"Bullshit."

"You just don't understand."

Bakugo sighed. "Then explain it to me."

"I told you already. If I skip training, he'll know something is wrong. I've never missed training before and UA doesn't just make rash decisions and add on random assignments out of the blue. They can't afford to behave like that anymore, and no one knows that better than my old man." Todoroki couldn't help the twinge of desperation that leaked through his voice. "Believe me, I thought of ways to avoid going home. None of them work."

"With a head as dense as yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you missed something."

Todoroki narrowed his eyes; he wasn't in the mood for insults.

Before he could respond to the blonde's taunt, Todoroki felt his phone vibrate from where it was clutched in his hand. He looked down at the screen to see who was contacting him. His screen displayed a picture of his sister and the name "Fuyumi" across the top of the glass. He poked the "accept call" button before rushing the phone up to his ear, not even remembering telling his muscles to act.

"Shouto!" His sister greeted from the other end. "Sorry I was cleaning the kitchen. I didn't notice you called!"

Todoroki couldn't help the small sob of relief that escaped his mouth before he even knew it was there. He turned his back on Bakugo, an action that usually would've caused the boy to explode. Rather than burst with anger, he crossed his arms loosely and turned his head in an attempt to give Todoroki a sliver of privacy while still guarding the door.

"Shou, are you ok? What's wrong?" Fuyumi's voice was panicked.

Without addressing his sister's questions, he shot his own at her. "Is dad home?" He bit his lip, waiting for the answer that could make or break him.

"Wha- no. He's on a business trip. He should be home Friday morning. Why?"

Todoroki let out a breath of relief. She was safe for now.

"Shouto, please, what's wrong?" Her voice was urgent, laced with concern. "Why are you asking about dad?"

"Please don't be mad at me."

"Mad? Shouto, please just tell me what the matter is."

"You promise you won't be angry with me?" Todoroki knew his sister still loved their father. That she still held onto the hope that he was a good guy under all his twisted and mangled layers. She wanted to believe that he worthy of his #2 hero title deep down. She wouldn't want the authorities investigating their father. He just ruined any chance of self-improvement Endeavor had.

"I could never be mad at you."

"I told my class about dad. About what he does." The words spilled out of his mouth. He didn't allow himself to think about it too much. If he did, he would've never said them. He waited for Fuyumi's reply, only hearing silence from her end. Shit, he had screwed up. His sister hated him. This isn't what she wanted. She hated Shouto for being a selfish and spoiled brat who never thought about anyone other than himself. He choked on a strangled sob. "F- Fuyumi? Are you ma- "

"I'm not mad." Her voice sounded soft yet strained at the same time. It bought back memories of her pathing up burns and bruises after training. When she would sit and hold him in her arms when everything got to be too much. It was the same voice she used when she was trying to hold back tears. "I'm glad, Shouto."

She was glad? That made no sense. She wanted father to improve and become a better person. A person who was worth looking up to. A person who could be a worthy role model for Shouto. He probably wouldn't have the chance to do that anymore. All because Shouto couldn't keep his big mouth shut.

"But- "

"No buts. I'm happy. I'm so, so happy that you're finally going to get the help you need. Shouto, you deserve to be happy. You deserve the chance to be a kid. You can finally have those things."

"Fuyumi I- "

"I should've said something a long time ago. I hated seeing you hurt. Seeing you crying. And the things he did to you," she paused for a shuttering breath. "He did such horrible things to you, Shouto. You didn't deserve any of that." She paused again, her voice sounding shakier when she began speaking again. "I'm so sorry. I've been a bad sister. I've watched you suffer for so long and did nothing to stop it."

Todoroki was taken aback. Fuyumi a bad sister? No it was quite the opposite. She sacrificed so much to keep her brother safe. She has been there ever since he could remember. Even more so after mom had been taken away.

"Don't say that, Fuyumi. Please, you're the best sister I could ever have. I'm lucky to have you." He paused. "I think I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

It seemed those words were the final straw for his sister. Loud sobs could be heard, causing Bakugo to turn his head slightly, peering at Todoroki through a side-eyed glance.

"Don't say that." She sucked in breaths of air. "I don't even want to think about that."

"I'm sorry." When his sister didn't reply, he got down to business, too emotionally drained to withhold it anymore. "Do you have a place you can stay once dad gets home?"

Sniffles and then a small "Yes, I have some coworkers who would be able to host me. I'll be out before he gets home."

Todoroki nodded at his sister's words, forgetting that she couldn't see his movements.

"And Shouto, call me whenever, ok? Even if you don't need anything. I miss hearing your voice."

The red and white haired boy let a small, tired smile spread across his lips. "Ok." He agreed

"I love you."

While Todoroki would usually be uncomfortable expressing emotions such as love in front of classmates, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. "I love you too."

The two siblings bid their farewells and hung up. Bakugo let his classmate sit in silence for a few minutes before grabbing his attention by clearing his throat.

"So everything's sorted out?'

Todoroki nodded, cradling his phone to his chest, the closest thing he could get to hugging his sister at the moment.

"Then go to bed. You look like death warmed over." Bakugo prodded Todoroki lightly with his toe, his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.

Bed sounded like a wonderful idea, so Todoroki found the strength within himself to rise to his feet and shuffle up the steps, leaning heavily on the railing. He felt himself smile softly yet again. Fuyumi was safe. She was going to be alright. He guessed that in a sense, he had not only freed himself, but his sister as well. Now she was going to be free to move out, live her life on her own time, put herself first. Everything a person in normal circumstances took for granted. His sister was finally getting what she deserved in life.

Bakugo must've caught sight of his expression. "What're you smirking about?"

"I'm happy."

Such a simple sentence, yet he doesn't remember saying it all that many times in his life. This was perhaps the first time he truly meant it. So this is what happiness felt like. A light chest, smiles coming naturally. He liked it. He hoped he would be happy more often in the future. He hoped for a lot of things for the future. With his newfound freedom, his hopes didn't seem too far away anymore. The caged bird was finally free.

Maybe Wednesdays weren't that bad after all.


End file.
